FRANK 
I'S 
DARING 


[BRARY 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


OF  CALIFORNIA 


LOS  ANGELES 


IN  MEMORY  OF 
EDWIN  CORLE 

PRESENTED  BY 
JEAN  CORLE 


FRANK   MERRIWELL'S  DARING 


"  Rig  Ga.be  is  dead  or  gone,"  said  Merriwell  with  sincere  regret.    (.See  page  208) 


FRANK  MERRIWELL'S 
DARING 


BY 

BURT  L.  STANDISH 

AUTHOR  OF 

'Frank  Merriwell's  Schooldays,"  "  Frank  Merriwell's  Trip  West," 

"Frank  Merriwell's  Chums,"  "  Frank  Merriwell's  Foes," 

"  Frank  Merriwell  Down  South,"  etc. 


PHILADELPHIA 

DAVID  McKAY,   PUBLISHER 

604-8  SOUTH  WASHINGTON  SQUARE 


Copyright,  190) 
•7  STREET  &  SMITH 

Fr««k  Mtmwtir*  Darfe| 


CONTENTS 


I— Five  Boys  on  Wheels         ....  7 

II — An  Unyielding  Father    ....  21 

III— William  Ayer  is  Surprised         ...  29 

IV — Frank  and  Jack      .        .        .        .        .  44 

V— A  Dash  to  the  Rescue        ....  56 

VI— The  Mad  Prophet 65 

VII — In  the  Dungeon 80 

VIII— The  Black  Tribunal        ....  88 

IX— The  Pit  of  Fire 96 

X — Adrift  in  the  Desert        ....  107 
XI — On  to  the  Mountains          .        .        .        .123 

XII— The  Skeleton 134 

XIII— "Indians!" .  146 

XIV— Blue  Wolf  Tries  the  Bicycle  .        .        .  156 

XV— Trick  Riding 167 

XVI — Escape .  181 

XVII— The  Mystery  Explained      .        .        .        .196 

XVIII— A  Night  Adventure        ....  208 

XIX — The  Story 223 

2035376 


CONTENTS 


XX — Another  Escape         ....  231 

XXI — At  Lake  Tahoe 241 

XXII — A  Race  on  the  Lake  .        .        .        .  254 

XXIII — The  Hermit's  Power      ....  268 

XXIV— Recovery 280 

XXV — Lost  Underground         ....  289 

XXVI— Brother  and  Sister     ....  298 

XXVII— Old  Friends 307 

XXVIII — Bart  Hodge  Makes  a  Confession        .  315 

XXIX — Frank  Becomes  Alarmed       .        .        .  326 

XXX — Arrest  and  Escape     ....  337 

XXXI— Isa  Isban 347 

XXXII— Hodge  Reappears      ....  364 

XXXIII— A  Knock  at  the  Door    .        .        .        -375 

XXXIV— The  Sheriff's  Shot      ....  38? 

XXXV — Escape — Conclusion      ....  393 


Frank  Merriwell's  Daring. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FIVE   BOYS   ON   WHEELS. 

"Here  we  come,  boys !     Clear  the  track !" 

"Look  out,  Jack,  or  you'll  get  going  so  fast  you 
can't  stop." 

"Dat  dar  lad  dun  fink  he's  a  flyin'  star !"  came  from 
a  colored  youth,  riding  with  the  four  white  boys. 
"Fust  t'ing  he  knows  he'll  go  ter  pieces  in  one  grand 
bust-up,  suah  as  yo'  is  boahn!" 

The  scene  was  a  rocky  road  leading  down  a  long 
mountainside.  Far  below  was  a  beautiful  valley,  one 
'of  the  finest  in  the  whole  State  of  Utah. 

It  was  a  sunny  day  and  the  boys  on  wheels  were  in 
the  best  of  spirits. 

The  acknowledged  leader  of  the  crowd,  although  he 
was  not  now  in  advance,  was  Frank  Merriwell,  a  tall, 
well-built  youth,  brave  and  manly  to  the  core,  and  an 
all-around  athlete. 


8  Five  Boys  on  Wheels. 

With  Frank  were  Harry  Rattleton,  Jack  Diamond, 
a  Virginia  youth,  and  Bruce  Browning,  all  students 
from  Yale  College.  Harry  was  Frank's  roommate 
and  own  particular  chum,  although  Jack  was  a  close 
second,  while  Bruce,  the  corpulent  member  of  the 
group,  was  a  warm  friend  to  all. 

The  fifth  of  the  party  was  Toots,  a  colored  boy. 

The  five  had  started  from  City  Hall,  New  York 
City,  on  a  journey  westward  to  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia. 

Numerous  adventures  had  been  encountered,  but  the 
boys  had  escaped  without  serious  injury,  although  on 
more  than  one  occasion  matters  had  looked  exceed- 
ingly black  for  them. 

"We  are  going  to  come  out  on  top  after  all,  boys," 
said  Frank,  as  they  pedaled  along;  "that  is,  if  Jack 
doesn't  ride  so  hard  that  he  breaks  his  neck." 

"Ride  hard!"  cried  Rattleton,  in  derision.  "As  if 
any  of  us  have  ever  taken  the  chances  you've  taken." 

"Well,  I  took  them  when  I  had  to,"  returned  Frank, 
modestly. 

"Not  always.  As,  for  instance,  when  you  rode 
through  the  tunnel  in  darkness." 

"Well,  I  admit  that  was  an  extra  risk." 


Five  Boys  on  Wheels.  9 

By  this  time  Jack  was  so  far  in  advance  that  Frank 
thought  it  best  to  go  after  him  and  see  that  nothing 
went  wrong. 

Away  he  sped,  and  presently  caught  sight  once  more 
of  Jack  Diamond. 

The  young  Virginian  was  going  forward  as  fast  as 
ever,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  Frank  caught  up 
with  him, 

"Take  it  easy,  Jack,"  he  called  out  "No  use  of 
hurrying." 

"What's  the  next  town,  anyway?" 

"A  small  place  called  Lehi  Junction." 

"Hope  it's  got  a  good  hotel  or  restaurant;  I'm  as 
hungry  as  a  bear." 

"So  am  I." 

Presently,  from  a  great  distance,  they  heard  the 
whistle  of  a  locomotive. 

"Train  coming,"  said  Jack.  "But  I  don't  see  any 
railroad  tracks." 

"They  must  be  around  the  turn  of  the  road.  Go 
slow,  or  we  may  get  caught." 

Both  decreased  their  speed,  and  presently  came  in 
sight  of  the  tracks,  which  wound  in  and  out  of  the 
mountains  just  north  of  Utah  Lake. 


io  Five  Boys  on  Wheels. 

At  one  of  these  turns  was  located  Lehi  Junction,  a 
collection  of  fifteen  or  twenty  houses,  a  couple  of 
stores  and  combined  saloon  and  hotel. 

"Hurrah,  here's  an  eating  place!"  cried  Jack.  "My, 
but  I  won't  punish  a  thing  when  I  get  my  feet  under 
the  table." 

"Here  comes  the  train,"  came  from  Frank.  "Look 
out,  don't  get  on  that  track !" 

Both  turned  away  and  started  to  ride  in  circles  while 
the  short  train  should  pass,  for  the  "junction"  was 
several  hundred  feet  beyond  the  settlement  proper. 

"By  Jove!  look  at  that!" 

It  was  Jack  who  uttered  the  cry,  and  he  suddenly 
nodded  in  the  direction  of  the  railroad  track. 

Frank  gazed  in  the  direction,  and  his  heart  gave  a 
leap  of  horror. 

A  young  man  had  walked  on  the  track  directly  in 
front  of  the  oncoming  train. 

He  was  engaged  in  reading  a  letter,  which  he  held 
in  both  hands,  and  was  evidently  totally  unaware  of 
his  danger. 

"He'll  be  killed!"  gasped  Jack  Diamond. 

"Not  if  I  can  save  him/'  came  from  Frank  Merri- 
well,  and  with  one  leap  he  reached  the  ground.  An- 


Five  Boys  on  Wheels  n 

other  leap  took  him  to  the  stranger's  side  and  he 
grasped  the  man  by  the  arm  and  dragged  him  from 
the  track  just  as  the  train  swept  past. 

"You  must  be  walking  in  your  sleep,  my  friend!" 
exclaimed  Frank,  with  a  short  laugh.  "Certainly  you 
had  a  close  call  that  trip.  If  I  hadn't  seen  you  were 
dazed  the  engine  would  have  killed  you." 

"It  wouldn't  have  made  any  difference  if  it  had!" 
came  hoarsely  from  the  lips  of  the  rescued  one.  "I 
don't  know  whether  to  thank  you  or  not  for  saving 
me." 

Frank  looked  at  him  ini  amazement. 

"Are  you  crazy,  man?"  -he  cried.  "Why,  you  are 
young  and  strong  and  in  the  best  of  health.  How  is  it 
that  you  do  not  care  whether  you  live  or  die?" 

"Oh,  it  wouldn't  interest  you  to  hear  the  story  of 
Tom  Whitcomb.  Poor  little  Lona!" 

"Girl  in  it!"  cried  Frank.  "I  knew  it!  Always  is 
a  girl  in  it  when  a  young  fellow  like  you  gets  to  feel- 
ing that  way.  Never  mind,  old  man ;  get  a  brace  on, 
and  let  her  go.  She's  not  the  only  one.  There  are 
others,  and  you  are  the  kind  of  chap  to  take  your 
choice." 

Tom  Whitcomb  was  a  good-looking  fellow,  with  a 


12  Five  Boys  on  Wheels. 

fine,  intellectual  face,  and  he  was  well  dressed  and 
prosperous  in  appearance. 

"You  do  not  understand/'  he  said,  huskily.  "Never 
mind.  I  can't  explain.  It  would  take  too  long. 
Poor  little  Lona!" 

"Great  Scott,  man!"  he  cried.  "Something  has 
happened  to  your  sweetheart.  I  do  understand  now, 
and  you  have  my  sincerest  sympathy.  She  is  dead?" 

"Worse  than   dead." 

"Worse?     It  can't  be!     I  don't  wish  to  pry  into 

your  affairs,  but — well,  I  won't  ask  questions.     I  see 

it  has  hit  you  hard.     That's  why  you  were  walking 

'  along  that  track  as  if  you  were  in  a  trance.     Lucky  I 

saw  you." 

"Yes,  I  will  thank  you  for  that." 

The  young  man  dropped  the  letter,  which  Frank 
picked  up  and  handed  to  him,  saying : 

"You  may  not  care  to  lose  this." 

"No,  no!"  cried  Whitcomb.  "It  is  from  her— the 
last  letter  I  may  ever  receive  from  her!  She  has  ap- 
pealed to  me  to  save  her,  but  I  do  not  know  where  he 
has  taken  her,  and  he  will  seal  her  to  him  before  I  can 
reach  her.  I  might  find  her — I  might  find  him — and 
kill  him!" 


Five  Boys  on  Wheels.  13 

Frank's  interest  increased. 

"As  long  as  there  is  life  there  is  hope,"  he  quoted. 
"If  she  has  made  an  appeal  to  you,  there  may  be  a 
chance  of  saving  her." 

Whitcomb  took  a  long  look  at  Merriwell. 

"Do  you  know,"  he  said,  "I  like  your  face.  It  is  all 
right.  •  You  are  from  the  East.  I  can  tell  it  by  your 
speech.  You  cut  the  letter  r  out  of  everything  you 
say." 

"You  are  mistaken,"  smiled  Frank,  "I  do  not  cut  it 
out.  I  use  the  letter,  but  I  do  not  gargle  my  throat 
with  it,  as  seems  to  be  the  habit  among  you  Western- 
ers." 

"Well,  I  knew  you  were  from  the  East  by  your 
speech.  I  suppose  the  *Y'  on  your  sweater  stands  for 
the  bicycle  club  to  which  you  belong?" 

"That  'Y'  stands  for  Yale  College." 

"Then  you  are  a  college  man.  Say,  I  have  a  desire 
to  tell  you  everything.  I  must  tell  somebody.  I  be- 
lieve you  are  the  one.  Do  you  care  to  listen  ?" 

"Unburden  your  soul,  old  man.  I'll  give  you  my 
sympathy,  if  nothing  else.  Where  shall  we  go?  I  pre- 
sume you  do  not  care  to  have  anybody  and  everybody 
hear  your  story?" 


14  Five  Boys  on  Wheels. 

"No.     Come  with  me." 

"Wait  till  I  speak  to  my  friends." 

The  others  had  come  up,  and,  for  the  first  time,  Tom 
Whitcomb  saw  Merriwell's  four  friends,  all  of  whom 
were  dressed  in  uniform  bicycle  suits. 

Frank  spoke  a  few  words  to  his  friends,  and  then 
followed  Whitcomb  to  a  spot  where  they  were  quite 
alone,  and  the  young  man  told  him  his  love  story, 
which  will  not  be  given  in  full  here.  It  is  enough  to 
say  that  he  loved  Lona  Ayer,  who  lived  with  her  father 
in  Provo,  and  they  were  engaged.  Tom  confessed 
that  he  was  a  member  of  the  Mormon  church,  but  he 
did  not  believe  in  polygamy.  Frank  was  rather  sur- 
prised to  hear  him  speak  of  Brigham  Young  in  terms 
that  were  not  altogether  respectful. 

Having  told  how  he  became  acquainted  with  Lona 
Ayer,  and  how  they  were  finally  engaged,  Tom  ex- 
plained that  some  business  connected  with  the  Mor- 
mon church  had  brought  to  Provo  one  Asaph  Hold- 
fast, an  elder  who  believed  in  the  doctrines  of  Brig- 
ham.  Holdfast  had  been  a  guest  at  the  home  of  Wil- 
liam Ayer,  and  there  he  had  seen  Lona.  She  had 
written  Tom  about  the  old  elder  and  how  he  had 
watched  her  with  his  greedy  eyes.  She  had  said  that 


Five  Boys  on  Wheels.  15 

she  avoided  him  as  much  as  possible,  but  that  letter 
had  not  prepared  him  for  the  one  that  was  to  follow. 

Her  second  letter  had  been  mailed  from  Nephi,  far 
to  the  south.  It  was  despairing  and  hysterical,  and  it 
was  plain  she  had  not  been  given  opportunity  to  finish 
it,  for  it  was  broken  off  in  the  middle.  That  letter 
told  Whitcomb  how  Elder  Holdfast  had  demanded  her 
as  an  addition  to  his  wives,  and  how  the  man  seemed 
to  exercise  a  hypnotic  influence  over  her  father,  who 
had  agreed  to  all  his  demands.  Then,  when  she  re- 
belled, she  had  been  led  by  her  father  to  believe  she 
would  not  be  forced  to  marry  the  elder,  but  that  she 
must  go  away  at  once. 

They  started,  and  on  the  journey  the  girl  had  dis- 
covered she  was  being  taken  to  a  hidden  town  amid 
the  mountains,  where  polygamy  was  practiced  as  it  had 
once  been  practiced  in  Salt  Lake  City.  She  could  not 
escape,  but  she  succeeded  in  sending  the  letter  to  Tom, 
begging  him  to  follow  and  save  her. 

"That  is  the  story,"  said  Whitcomb,  in  conclusion ; 
"but  I  do  not  know  where  he  has  taken  her,  so  how  am 
I  to  follow?" 

"You  are  a  Mormon,  and  you  should  be  able  to 
find  out  where  this  town  is  located." 


1 6  Five  Boys  on  Wheels. 

"At  that,  I  might  not  be  able  to  reach  it  in  time." 

"Take  chances.     You  might." 

"But  what  could  I  do? — alone!" 

"Make  a  struggle.    Tell  you  what  I'll  do!" 

"Yes." 

"I'll  go  with  you." 

"Whitcomb  was  surprised. 

"Why  should  you?"  he  asked. 

"Because  I  am  interested  in  you,  old  man,  and  I 
want  you  to  save  that  girl  and  marry  her.  The  whole 
crowd  will  go  with  you,  if  you  want  them.  My 
friends  will  stick  to  me  like  glue." 

A  new  light  came  to  Tom  Whitcomb's  face. 

"You  give  me  a  ray  of  hope!"  he  cried.  "We  can 
try  it.  If  we  can  find  the  town — if  we  can!" 

"It  must  be  somewhere  to  the  south — somewhere 
down  past  Nephi.  That  is  a  clew." 

"But  the  railroad  branches  at  Nephi,  which  is  a 
junction." 

"You  must  find  out  which  branch  to  take.  What 
is  the  good  of  being  a  Mormon  if  you  can't  find  out 
where  this  polygamous  town  is  located!  Surely  there 
are  many  Mormons  who  know  all  about  it.  Make  a 


Five  Boys  on  Wheels.  17 

hustle,  man — get  a  gait  on !  How  many  of  my  friends 
shall  I  take  along?" 

"Not  all  of  them.  One  will  be  enough.  Are  you  a 
fast  rider?" 

"Well,  excuse  my  blushes!     I  don't  like  to  say." 

"All  right  Take  the  best  rider  you  have  as  a  com- 
panion. If  you  stick  to  me,  the  time  may  come  when 
you'll  have  to  ride  for  your  lives.  Let  him  be  a  good 
fighter,  too,  for  it  is  not  likely  we'll  be  able  to  save 
Lona  without  a  fight." 

"Diamond  is  the  man,"  said  Frank.  "He  can  ride 
like  the  wind,  and  he  is  a  fighter  from  'way  back  when 
he  gets  started.  In  fact,  he  enjoys  a  fight  better  than 
a  square  meal." 

"Then  he  is  the  one.  We  will  start  for  Provo  at 
once.  There  I  have  friends  who  may  be  able  to  put 
us  on  the  trail.  Oh,  if  we  can  save  her !" 

"We  will,  old  man,  if  she  stands  Elder  Holdfast  off 
a  little.  All  we  need  is  time." 

"But  how  shall  I  be  able  to  pay  you  ?" 

"Look  here,  don't  you  talk  to  us  about  pay.  I  am 
in  this  thing  for  the  racket,  and  I  know  Jack  will  be 
ready  enough  to  take  a  hand.  Pay!  Well,  say!  If 
you  hint  at  such  a  thing  again — don't  do  it!  Elder 


1 8  Five  Boys  on  Wheels. 

Asaph  Holdfast,  we're  on  your  trail,  and  you'll  find  us 
harder  to  dodge  than  bullets.  We  won't  do  a  thing 
to  you  when  we  catch  you !" 

Being1  a  Mormon,  Tom  Whitcomb  was  able  to  ob- 
tain full  information  concerning  the  Lost  Tribe  of 
Israel,  to  which  he  had  heard  Elder  Holdfast  be- 
longed. 

He  learned  the  exact  location  of  the  town  of  Bethel, 
which  lay  in  the  Valley  of  Bethsada,  and,  with  Frank 
Merriwell  and  Jack  Diamond  as  companions,  he  lost 
no  time  in  reaching  the  vicinity  of  the  valley. 

But  the  valley  was  guarded,  and  Whitcomb  knew  it 
would  be  a  difficult  thing  to  enter  it.  Still  it  was  said 
there  was  a  way  of  getting  into  it  over  the  mountains, 
for  an  old  hermit,  known  as  Old  Lonely,  entered  and 
left  the  valley  at  wilL 

Old  Lonely  was  "cracked,"  for  he  believed  himself 
a  prophet,  and  he  boasted  that  nothing  on  earth  could 
injure  him.  He  often  entered  Bethel  and  "prophe 
sied,"  but  although  he  was  not  of  the  Mormon  faith, 
he  was  never  molested,  as  the  inhabitants  of  the  valley 
believed  him  quite  harmless. 

While  Frank  and  Jack  sought  to  find  a  way  of  get- 
ting into  the  valley  without  the  assistance  of  other 


Five  Boys  on  Wheels.  19 

parties,  Whitcomb  sought  Old  Lonely,  hoping  to  ob- 
tain aid  from  the  hermit. 

Between  them  it  was  agreed  that  if  the  bicycle  boys 
reached  the  town  first  everything  was  to  be  done  to 
delay  the  "sealing"  of  Lona  Ayer  to  Holdfast  till 
Whitcomb  appeared. 

If  Whitcomb  got  in  first,  he  would  try  to  hold  things 
up  till  his  friends  arrived,  and  the  trio  would  make  a 
desperate  attempt  to  carry  off  the  girl. 

At  a  distance,  it  had  seemed  that  the  task  of  rescu- 
ing Lona  could  be  accomplished  easily,  but  when  the 
boys  found  how  hard  it  was  to  get  into  the  valley  they 
began  to  realize  what  kind  of  a  job  they  had  tackled. 

Frank  Merriwell,  however,  was  not  the  lad  to  be 
frightened  by  anything,  no  matter  how  formidable  it 
appeared,  and  it  was  mainly  through  his  nerve  and 
skill  that  he  and  Jack  found  a  way  down  from  the 
heights  above  into  the  valley,  after  obtaining  a  posi- 
tion where  they  could  view  the  town. 

But  Merriwell  was  forced  to  confess  that  they  could 
not  return  as  they  had  entered.  Even  though  they 
could  scale  those  steeps  themselves,  where  they  had 
let  their  wheels  down  with  the  aid  of  a  rope,  those 


20  Five  Boys  on  Wheels. 

wheels  could  not  be  dragged  up  through  the  scraggy 
timber. 

They  had  entered  the  "Forbidden  Valley,"  but 
would  they  ever  get  out  to  tell  of  their  adventures? 

If  so,  they  would  be  the  first  Gentiles  to  boast  of  such 
a  thing. 

"We'll  do  our  best  for  the  girl,  Jack,  if  we  can  find 
her,"  said  Frank. 

"That's  what  we  will,"  nodded  Diamond,  determina- 
tion written  on  his  dark  face.  "But  it  is  about  a  hun- 
dred to  one  we'll  not  be  able  to  find  her." 


CHAPTER  II. 

AN   UNYIELDING   FATHER. 

"Arise,  daughter,"  said  William  Ayer,  touching  the 
shoulder  of  the  sleeping  girl,  whose  sad  yet  pretty  face 
bore  traces  that  told  she  had  wept  herself  to  sleep. 
"The  morning  has  dawned,  and  this  is  the  day  that 
shall  witness  the  consummation  of  thy  happiness." 

With  a  little  pitful  cry,  the  girl  opened  her  eyes  and 
shrank  from  him.  Then,  seeing  his  face,  she  gave  a 
murmur  of  relief. 

"Oh,  it  is  you,  father !"  she  said.  "How  you  fright- 
ened me!  I  didn't  know — I  thought  it  might  be  that 
— that  horrid  creature." 

"Of  whom  do  you  speak  in  such  terms,  my  daugh- 
ter?" gravely  asked  William  Ayer.  "Whom  do  you 
designate  by  the  epithet  'horrid  creature  ?' ' 

"Why,  there  is  but  one  person  I  could  possibly 
mean,  father." 

"Name  that  person,  daughter." 

"Elder  Asaph  Holdfast,  of  course," 


32  An  Unyielding  Father. 

William  Ayer  held  up  both  hands,  an  expression  of 
horror  and  sorrow  on  his  face. 

"Oh,  my  daughter!"  he  cried.  "I  -hoped  thy  heart 
would  be  softened  during  the  night  and  thy  rebellious 
spirit  would  be  bowed  down  with  contrition,  but  it 
seems  I  hoped  vainly.  Elder  Holdfast  is  a  chosen 
servant  of  the  Lord,  and  a  good  and  holy  man." 

"Elder  Holdfast  is  a  contemptible  old  wretch !  Oh, 
how  I  despise  and  fear  him!"  she  cried,  sitting  bolt 
upright  in  bed  and  making  a  wild  gesture.  "He  has 
a  thin,  sanctimonious  old  face,  and  his  hair  and  beard 
are  snowy  white,  but  his  age  can  command  for  him  no 
respect,  as  his  evil  nature  is  shown  in  his  narrow  little 
eyes.  Oh,  father!  the  look  I  have  seen  in  those  eyes 
when  they  rested  on  me — it  makes  me  shudder  with 
horror  to  think  of  it !" 

"You  are  hysterical,  daughter !"  said  William  Ayer, 
attempting  to  soothe  her.  "You  are  given  to  vain 
fancies  and  foolish  thoughts.  In  the  eyes  of  the  good 
Elder  Holdfast  thou  hast  seen  nothing  but  the  tender- 
est  regard  for  you  and  your  spiritual  welfare." 

"Bosh!"  cried  the  girl,  sharply.  "Tender  regard, 
indeed!  Such  tender  regard  as  the  wolf  gives  the 
lamb  it  has  selected  for  its  prey!" 


An  Unyielding  Father.  2) 

"Ah,  but  you  will  discover  your  mistake  when  the 
good  elder  has  made  thee  his  wife," 

"Which  he  shall  never  do,  father!  I  refuse  to  be- 
come the  ninth  Mrs.  Holdfast.  Asaph  Holdfast  al- 
ready has  seven  living  wives  and  one  has  died.  Ugh !" 
she  cried,  with  a  shiver ;  "it  is  a  horrible  thing  to  think 
about!  And  it  is  said  that  polygamy  is  no  longer 
practiced  in  Utah !" 

"That  is  said  to  deceive  the  wicked  Gentiles,  who 
would  rob  our  religion  of  all  that  makes  it  distinct  and 
uplifting,  if  -he  could." 

"And  do  you — you,  my  father ! — believe  that  polyg- 
amy makes  the  Mormon  religion  'uplifting?'  Heaven 
pity  you  if  you  do !  Polygamy  has  been  the  shame  and 
disgrace  of  the  Mormons!  To-day  all  the  younger 
members  of  the  church  acknowledge  it." 

"Ah,  but  that  is  because  they  have  fallen  away. 
Brigham  Young  was  inspired  of  God,  and  he  had 
many  wives.  Here  in  this  lost  Valley  of  Bethsada  the 
Brighamites  have  built  up  a  town  that  is  shut  off  from 
the  rest  of  the  world — a  town  of  which  few  outside  its 
boundaries  know  anything  at  all.  Here  the  Mormon 
religion  is  practiced  as  it  was  practiced  in  Salt  Lake 
City  in  the  days  of  Brigham." 


24  An  Unyielding  Father. 

"And  -here  you  have  dragged  me,  at  the  command 
Df  that  old  wretch  Holdfast!" 

"Hold,  daughter!  Thou  shalt  not  speak  thus  dis- 
respectfully of  Elder  Holdfast!  I  forbid  it!" 

"I  don't  care !"  cried  the  girl,  spiritedly.  "He  is  an 
old  wretch!  Some  day  the  law  will  reach  him,  and 
then  he'll  suffer.  And  you,  father — you  deceived  me," 
she  reproachfully  declared.  "You  sanctioned  my  en- 
gagement to  Tom  Whitcomb " 

"That  was  before  Elder  Holdfast  had  seen  thee  and 
claimed  thee,  daughter." 

"What  evil  power  can  that  man  have  over  you, 
father?  Why  could  he,  at  his  command,  cause  us  to 
leave  our  pretty  home  in  Provo  and  come  here  to  this 
hidden  town  amid  the  mountains?  And  you  know  I 
would  not  have  come  here  had  I  known  at  first  where 
you  were  taking  me." 

"In  this  place,  my  child,  deception  was  necessary  in 
order  to  accomplish  a  great  good." 

"A  great  evil,  you  mean!  I  tell  you,  father,  I  will 
not  marry  that  old  wretch!  Tom  Whitcomb  will 
come  here  and  save  me  from  him." 

"It  is  a  vain  hope,  daughter,  for  Whitcomb  cannot 
know  whither  thou  hast  gone." 


An  Unyielding  Father.  25 

The  girl  was  silent,  but  a  strange  look  passed  over 
her  face — a  look  that  her  father  failed  to  note. 

"This  is  the  day  that  thou  art  to  be  sealed  to  Elder 
Holdfast,"  said  William  Ayer.  "Already  the  sun 
hath  risen,  and  it  is  a  beautiful  morning.  Array  thy- 
self in  thy  best  apparel,  daughter,  and  banish  that  sad 
look  from  thy  face.  Time  will  convince  thee  of  thy 
mistake.  I  bid  thee — nay,  I  command  thee — be  gen- 
tle and  respectful  toward  the  good  elder.  In  time  thou 
shalt  learn  to  love  him." 

"Love  him !"  cried  the  girl,  burying  her  face  in  her 
hands — "love  that  old  wretch !  Never !  I  detest  him 
now,  and  I  shall  detest  him  always!  Oh,  father!'* — 
and  she  suddenly  caught  both  his  hands — "my  dear 
father!  I  beg  you  not  to  put  this  shame  and  sorrow 
upon  me !  You  have  told  me  how  much  you  love  me, 
and  I  'have  seen  it  in  your  eyes.  Prove  it  now  by  sav- 
ing me  from  Asaph  Holdfast!  You  must  see  how 
much  I  suffer — you  must  know  it  will  kill  me !  I  can- 
not live  through  it!" 

He  released  one  of  his  hands  and  slowly  stroked 
her  hair.  For  a  moment  a  light  of  pity  shone  from 
his  eyes,  but  it  seemed  that  he  crushed  down  the  pity  in 


26  An  Unyielding  Father. 

his  -heart  and  hardened  his  soul  to  carry  out  what  he 
firmly  believed  was  his  duty. 

"Daughter,"  he  said,  coldly,  "thou  art  excited  and 
hysterical  now.  You  will  see  things  in  a  different 
light  very  soon.  It  has  been  ordained  that  thou  shalt 
become  the  wife  of  Elder  Holdfast,  and  it  is  not  in  my 
power  to  withhold  thee  from  him." 

"Oh,  you  can't  be  so  cruel — so  heartless!"  sobbed 
the  poor  girl,  her  whole  shapely  body  racked  by  emo- 
tion. "I  am  your  child — your  own  little  Lona!  You 
have  held  me  in  your  arms  and  rocked  me  to  sleep,  and, 
with  my  head  on  your  breast,  with  your  arms  about 
me,  I  have  felt  that  you  would  shield  and  protect  me 
always.  I  was  so  happy  then,  dear  father!  And 
now — now  is  it  possible  that  you  are  the  one  to  turn 
against  me  and  force  me  into  this  shame !  Oh,  father ! 
father!" 

For  a  moment  the  man  turned  his  face  away.  Then 
he  set  his  teeth  and,  when  he  looked  at  her  again,  his 
face  was  cold  and  calm  as  usual. 

"I  tell  you  it  is  the  will  of  one  whose  power  I  can- 
not deny,"  he  declared.  "It  is  useless  for  you  to  rebel, 
my  daughter." 

"Ah !"  she  sobbed,  her  blue  eyes  raining  tears,  "how 


An  Unyielding  Father.  y 

I  wish  I  had  died  when  I  was  a  happy  child!  How 
can  it  be  you  would  force  me  to  this  when  you  know 
•what  has  happened  to  the  plural  wives  almost  all  over 
"Utah?  They  have  been  set  aside,  and  only  the  first 
wife  remains  as  the  true  wife  of  the  husband.  Think 
of  their  wretched  position — of  their  shame!  And  you 
would  force  me  to  this — you,  my  father !" 

"The  law  may  have  said  that  none  but  the  first  wife 
is  the  legal  wife  of  the  husband,"  said  William  Ayer; 
"but  that  law  was  made  by  men  and  Gentiles.  The 
law  of  God  says  all  those  wives  are  true  and  legal 
wives,  and  the  law  of  God  cannot  err.  For  them  there 
is  no  shame,  and  greater  shall  be  their  reward  here- 
after because  of  what  they  may  suffer  at  present.  As 
for  you,  their  fate  can  never  be  yours.  The  people 
here  in  this  beautiful  valley  are  called  the  Lost  Tribe 
of  Israel,  and  lost  they  are  to  the  outside  world.  No 
railroads  shall  ever  come  here,  and  Gentiles  will  not 
be  permitted  in  this  valley.  Here  polygamy  shall  con- 
tinue and  flourish  long  after  you  have  passed  away,  so 
have  no  fear  that  the  fate  of  plural  wives  in  other  parts 
shall  befall  you." 

"You  are  crazy!"  cried  the  girl.  "Such  a  thing 
Cannot  continue!  Some  time  the  Gentiles  will  pour  in 


28  An  Unyielding  Father. 

here,  and  then  the  railroad  will  come.  With  it  shall 
come  the  putting  away  of  the  plural  wives.  But  I'll 
not  live  to  see  that  time!  If  I  am  forced  into  this  by 
the  father  I  have  loved.  It  will  kill  me!" 

"Nonsense,  daughter !  Let  us  have  no  further  folly. 
Arise,  as  I  have  commanded,  and  don  thy  gayest  attire. 
At  ten  Elder  Holdfast  will  come  for  thee  and  take  thee 
to  the  Endowment  House,  where  thou  shall  be  sealed 
unto  him.  Be  ready." 

Then  he  turned  and  left  the  chamber. 

Shaking,  sobbing,  moaning,  the  girl  flung  herself 
down  on  the  bed,  burying  her  face  in  the  pillows. 

"Oh,  Tom — Tom,  my  sweetheart!"  she  cried; 
"where  are  you  now?  Did  you  receive  my  letter? 
Will  you  be  able  to  find  me?  Will  you  reach  me  in 
time?  If  not,  if  you  are  too  late,  you  will  find  me 
when  I  am  dead!" 


CHAPTER  III. 

WILLIAM   AYER   IS  SURPRISED. 

Through  the  pretty  little  Mormon  town  of  Bethel, 
which  stood  in  the  Valley  of  Bethsada,  hidden  deep  in 
the  heart  of  the  mountains,  slowly  and  sedately  walked 
Elder  Asaph  Holdfast,  accompanied  by  one  of  his  seven 
living  wives,  a  plain,  stout,  matronly-looking  woman. 

Elder  Holdfast  had  long  white  hair  and  a  long  white 
beard,  and  he  seemed  to  be  wrapped  about  with  an  air 
of  self-conscious  righteousness.  At  a  distance  there 
was  something  patriarchal  in  his  appearance,  but  his 
face  was  cold  and  immobile,  with  a  sternness  about  it 
that  told  he  was  a  man  of  unbending  will  and  unfor- 
giving nature. 

The  face  of  the  seventh  Mrs.  Holdfast,  who  ac- 
companied him,  had  a  meek,  bovine  look,  plainly  show- 
ing the  woman  was  not  of  a  high  order  of  intelligence. 

Mrs.  Holdfast  did  not  walk  abreast  her  lord  and 
master,  but  kept  a  step  to  the  rear,  showing  she  fully 
felt  her  utter  inferiority  and  unworthiness. 

Not  a  word  did  the  good  Elder  Holdfast  say,  but 


30  William  Ayer  is  Surprised. 

there  was  on  his  face  a  steady  determination  of  pur- 
pose, and  it  is  possible  that  his  eyes,  which  were  set 
close  together,  betrayed  something  of  the  pleasant  an- 
ticipation that  rilled  his  soul. 

For  was  not  this  the  day  that  should  see  him  sealed 
to  the  charming-  and  beautiful  daughter  of  a  brother 
Mormon,  who  must  feel  it  an  untold  honor  to  have  his 
only  and  dearly  beloved  child  become  the  ninth  wife  of 
one  so  high  in  the  Mormon  church  as  Elder  Asaph 
Holdfast! 

The  sun  was  shining  and  the  birds  were  singing. 
It  seemed  that  all  the  world  was  filled  with  joy  and 
happiness,  and  surely  there  could  be  nothing  of  sorrow 
and  wrong  in  the  beautiful  little  town  of  Bethel,  where 
the  Mormon  religion,  as  expounded  by  the  Prophet 
Brigham,  was  practiced  and  held  full  sway. 

Here  no  Gentile  had  ever  come  to  bring  discord  and 
unhappiness.  The  regular  approaches  to  the  valley 
were  guarded  by  chosen  ones,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
turn  back  any  suspicious  persons  who  could  not  give 
sure  and  convincing  proof  that  they  were  of  the  Mor- 
mon faith  and  endowed  members  of  the  church  in 
good  standing. 

Elder  Holdfast  approached  a   small   cottage,   and 


William  Ayer  is  Surprised.  Ji 

rapped  slowly  and  sedately  on  the  door,  which  was 
opened  almost  immediately  by  William  Ayer. 

"Ah,  Brother  Ayer,"  said  the  elder,  offering  his 
hand,  "you  see  I  have  come,  as  appointed. 

"Ah,  Elder  Holdfast,"  said  the  other,  accepting  the 
proffered  hand,  but  failing  to  give  it  a  very  cordial 
pressure,  "I  am  glad  to  see  thee,  and  I  trust  thou  art 
well.  Wilt  thou  enter?" 

The  elder  entered.  He  did  not  offer  to  introduce 
the  wife  who  had  accompanied  him,  but  William  Ayer 
placed  a  chair  for  her,  and  bade  her  sit  down,  which 
she  did,  after  the  elder  had  taken  a  chair. 

Elder  Holdfast's  eyes  were  keen,  and  he  detected  a 
troubled  look  on  the  face  of  the  other  man.  Of  this 
he  did  not  speak  at  once,  but  observed : 

"Brother  Ayer,  I  trust  your  daughter  is  in  readi- 
ness to  accompany  us  to  the  Endowment  House,  for  the 
appointed  hour  is  at  hand." 

"Elder  Holdfast,"  said  Ayer,  hesitatingly,  "it  sa^ 
dens  me  to  inform  thee  that  my  daughter  is  not  well.'1 

The  cold  look  on  the  face  of  the  Mormon  elder  grew 
colder  still,  and  he  regarded  Ayer  with  sternness. 

At  last  -he  spoke : 

"I  saw  by  thy  face  that  something  was  amiss.     But 


32  William  Ayer  is  Surprised. 

thou  knowest,  brother,  that  this  is  a  mater  that  cannot 
idly  be  put  off  to  please  the  whim  of  a  girl." 

"I  know,  I  know,"  said  the  father,  hastily;  "but  in 
truth  Lona  is  not  well.  You  should  remember,  as  I 
have  told  you,  that  she  had  formed  a  foolish  attach- 
ment for  a  young  man  in  Provo." 

"I  remember  that  thou  didst  speak  of  it,  Brother 
Ayer.  If  I  remember  aright,  the  young  man's  name 
is  Whitcomb,  a  son  of  Jarius  Whitcomb,  who  during 
life  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  Mormon  doctrine  and  a 
useful  member  of  the  church.  Am  I  right?" 

"Thou  art  right." 

"Let  me  see,"  continued  the  elder,  "Brother  Whit- 
comb was  at  one  time  one  of  the  destroying  ones 
chosen  by  the  Prophet  Brigham  for  a  great  and  holy 
purpose." 

"In  that  thou  art  right." 

"But  the  son,  I  am  told,  has  been  beguiled  by  the 
false  teaching  of  the  ungodly  Gentiles,  and  hath  turned 
in  a  measure  from  the  religion  of  his  father." 

"It  is  even  so." 

"Then,"  said  Elder  Holdfast,  "there  is  no  reason 
why  we  should  give  him  any  consideration,  and  cer- 


William  Ayer  is  Surprised.  33 

tain  it  must  be,  Brother  Ayer,  that  you  could  not  de- 
sire your  daughter  to  wed  such  a  man." 

"I  had  rather  she  would  not,"  said  Ayer,  weakly. 

"Had  rather!"  came  sternly  and  reprovingly  from 
Asaph  Holdfast's  lips.  "My  brother,  I  am  aston- 
ished— nay,  I  am  amazed!  It  is  something  to  which, 
under  no  circumstances,  you  should  give  your  con- 
sent." 

William  Ayer  seemed  to  feel  the  sting  of  the  good 
elder's  reproval,  and  he  hung  his  head  for  a  moment. 
Then,  with  an  attempt  at  self-justification,  he  looked 
up  and  said: 

"You  know  she  is  my  only  child,  and  I  love  her  so 
I  hate  to  cause  her  sorrow." 

"As  she  is  thy  only  child,  it  is  all  the  greater  reason 
why  thou  shouldst  have  great  care  that  she  should  not 
err  in  such  a  grave  step.  I  much  fear  thou  art  too 
yielding  with  her,  brother.  It  is  ever  for  the  good  of 
an  unthinking  child  that  a  stern  and  steady  hand  guid- 
eth  it  in  the  course  it  should  pursue.  But  it  seemeth 
that  I  came  to  Provo  in  time  to  save  thy  daughter 
from  such  a  sad  mistake  as  a  marriage  with  a  son  who 
hath  renounced  the  religion  of  his  father — the  true  re- 
ligion." 


34  William  Ayer  is  Surprised. 

"But  it  was  so  sudden,  Elder  Holdfast — that  is  why 
it  has  shattered  the  poor  girl's  nerves  and  made  her 
ill." 

"Brother  Ayer,  mayhap  thy  daughter  is  shamming. 
I  much  doubt  that  she  is  ill  at  all." 

Nor  would  the  good  elder  be  convinced.  He  in- 
sisted that  the  girl  must  prepare  herself  at  once  to  ac- 
company them  to  the  Endowment  House.  Ayer  tried 
to  remonstrate,  in  a  feeble  way,  but  all  he  said  had  no 
impression  on  the  elder,  and  he  finally  gave  in. 

"If  possible,  I  will  bring  her  down,"  he  said,  as  he 
started  to  leave  the  room. 

"Tell  her  she  must  come  down,  or  I,  myself,  will 
come  for  her.  Mrs.  Holdfast,  accompany  Brother 
Ayer,  and  use  thy  arts  of  persuasion  on  the  willful 
child.  Tell  her  plainly  that  I  have  come  for  her,  and 
will  not  go  away  without  her.  If  necessary,  she  shall 
be  carried  to  the  Endowment  House  in  a  cart." 

Without  a  word,  the  woman  arose  and  followed 
William  Ayer  to  the  chamber  of  the  girl.  As  he  lifted 
his  hand  to  knock  at  the  door,  the  father  paused  in 
surprise,  hearing  the  voice  of  his  daughter  speaking 
within. 


William  Ayer  is  Surprised.  35 

"She  is  talking  to  some  one !"  he  exclaimed.  "Who 
can  it  be?" 

Then  -he  abruptly  opened  the  door. 

To  his  further  surprise,  he  saw  that  Lona  had  arisen 
from  her  bed  and  was  dressed.  She  was  at  the  win- 
dow, which  opened  on  the  front  of  the  story-and-a- 
half  cottage.  The  window  was  open,  and  she  leaned 
out  as  she  spoke  to  some  one  outside. 

"Here — now?"  she  was  exclaiming,  in  a  most  ex- 
cited manner.  "Is  this  true — can  it  be  true?" 

"What  does  this  mean?"  cried  the  father,  as  he 
strode  into  the  room. 

With  a  little  cry,  the  girl  started  back  and  attempted 
to  close  the  window,  but  William  Ayer  reached  it,  and 
his  hand  held  it  open,  while  he  thrust  -her  aside. 

Looking  out,  the  Mormon  saw  something  that 
caused  him  to  stare  and  gasp. 

Beneath  that  very  window  were  two  youths,  attired 
in  dust-covered  bicycle  suits,  standing  beside  their 
wheels,  which  also  were  covered  with  dust. 

They  were  looking  up  at  that  window,  and  it  was 
plain  that  they  had  been  speaking  with  the  girl. 

Now  William  Ayer,  although  he  had  been  less  than 
forty-eight  hours  in  Bethel,  knew  full  well  that  no  such 


36  William  Ayer  is  Surprised. 

young  men  belonged  there,  and  no  bicycles  had  ever 
before  been  seen  in  the  Valley  of  Bethsada. 

The  young  cyclists  were  handsome-looking  fellows, 
and  they  lifted  their  caps  to  the  man  at  the  window 
with  a  careless  nonchalance  that  made  him  gasp. 

"How  do  you  do,  sir,"  said  one  of  them,  pleasantly. 
"I  trust  you  will  pardon  us,  but  we  are  strangers  here 
— in  fact,  we  came  upon  this  town  quite  by  accident — 
and,  seeing  the  young  lady  at  the  window,  we  took  the 
liberty  to  ask  her  some  questions,  which  she  very 
kindly  answered.  Will  you  be  good  enough  to  thank 
her  for  her  courtesy.  Good-day,  sir." 

Then,  before  William  Ayer  could  speak,  they 
mounted  their  wheels  and  pedaled  on  into  the  town, 

William  Ayer  let  go  the  window,  which  came  down 
with  a  crash. 

"Breath  of  my  soul !"  he  cried. 

Then  he  looked  at  his  daughter,  who  was  confused 
and  excited,  with  a  strange  flush  on  her  cheeks. 

"Tell  me  the  truth,  girl !"  he  commanded,  as  he  sud- 
denly gripped  her  wrist.  "Who  are  those  young 
men?" 

"I  do  not  know,  father." 

"Tell  me  the  truth,  I  command  thee!" 


William  Ayer  is  Surprised.  37 

"I  have  told  you  the  truth." 

"And  you  were  speaking  with  them?" 

"I  saw  them  come  along,  and  their  appearance 
caused  me  to  look  out  of  the  window.  They  stopped 
and  spoke." 

"The  insolent  dogs!"  burst  from  William  Ayer. 

"They  were  not  insolent,  father;  they  lifted  their 
caps,  and  were  very  polite.  I  am  sure  they " 

"It  was  insolent  of  them  to  speak  to  you  at  all! 
And  they  are  not  Mormons!  They  are  Gentiles!" 

"It  may  be." 

"It  may  be!     You  know  they  are — you  know!" 

"How  should  I  know?" 

"No  Mormons  in  this  town  ride  bicycles." 

"Which  shows  that  this  town  is  very  slow,"  said 
Lpna,  in  a  manner  that  caused  her  father  to  gasp  for 
the  third  time. 

"My  daughter,"  he  cried,  "what  has  wrought  this 
change  in  thee  ?  A  little  while  ago  thou  wert  ill." 

"Yes,  but  I  am  better  now." 

"Thou  art  better  since  speaking  with  those  Gentiles. 
There  is  something  wrong  in  this.  How  they  ever  got 
in  here  is  a  mystery,  but  they  will  not  long  remain. 
The  good  elder  must  be  told  what  has  happened." 


)8  William  Ayer  is  Surprised. 

Then  he  hurried  down  and  told  Elder  Holdfast 
everything.  Holdfast  seldom  allowed  himself  to  be- 
come excited,  so  he  listened  with  affected  calmness, 
but  his  face  grew  harder  than  William  Ayer  had  ever 
seen  it. 

"There  has  been  some  reprehensible  carelessness," 
he  said.  "Some  one  must  be  punished  for  it  But 
now  the  Gentiles  are  in  here  they  will  not  find  it  so 
easy  to  get  out." 

"But  what  will  be  done  with  them?" 

"Brother  Ayer,"  said  the  elder,  a  forbidding  and 
somber  look  on  his  aged  face,  "it  is  said  that  polygamy 
is  not  practiced  anywhere  in  Utah.  You  have  seen 
how  true  this  is.  It  is  also  said  that  the  destroying 
Ones  no  longer  exist.  You  may  never  know  whether 
this  is  true  or  not,  for  not  even  all  stanch  and  devoted 
members  of  the  church  know  everything,  but  you  may 
rest  assured  that  any  dangerous  Gentiles  who  may  en- 
ter the  Valley  of  Bethsada  will  not  go  back  to  the  world 
to  tell  what  they  have  discovered." 

Despite  himself,  the  listening  man  shuddered  and 
drew  back.  The  look  in  Elder  Holdfast's  eyes  at  that 
moment  was  not  pleasant  to  see,  and  William  Ayer 
was  chilled  to  the  marrow. 


William  Ayer  is  Surprised.  39 

He  recovered  his  nerve  with  an  effort,  and  hastily 
said: 

"Is  it  not  well  that  the  townspeople  should  know 
whom  there  is  in  our  midst,  Elder  Holdfast?  Should 
not  the  brethren  be  warned  not  to  hold  communication 
with  the  two  Gentiles?" 

"Surely,  Brother  Ayer,  they  should  be  warned.  Go 
at  once  through  the  town,  and  communicate  to  them 
the  fact  that  the  ungodly  are  with  us." 

"But  Lona,  my  child — I  cannot  leave  her." 

"Be  not  fearful  on  that  account,  Brother  Ayer;  she 
is  in  good  hands  and  safe." 

Yes,  safe — safe  as  is  the  lamb  that  is  left  in  the 
care  of  the  wolf!  Safe!  The  word  was  a  mockery! 

William  Ayer  -hesitated  and  gazed  doubtfully  at  the 
good  elder,  and  in  the  good  elder's  eyes  he  saw  a  com- 
mand that  he  dared  not  disobey. 

"Go!"  said  Holdfast. 

William  Ayer  sought  his  hat,  and  humbly  though 
reluctantly,  he  left  the  cottage. 

Holdfast  arose,  and,  without  hesitation,  he  ascended 
the  stairs  to  the  chamber  he  knew  was  occupied  by  the 
child  he  had  chosen  for  his  prey. 

At  the  door  he  paused  to  listen,  and  he  could  hear 


40  William  Ayer  is  Surprised. 

his  seventh  wife  talking  with  the  girl  within.  Then 
he  heard  Lona  Ayer  speak  plainly  and  distinctly,  and 
the  words  she  uttered  were  far  from  flattering  to  the 
soul  of  the  listening  man. 

"You  say  your  husband  is  a  servant  of  God !"  cried 
Lona.  "My  poor  woman,  you  have  no  husband!  I 
pity  you — indeed  I  do!  And  you  would  place  me  in 
a  situation  quite  as  wretched  as  your  own.  Oh,  I  beg 
of  you — I  entreat  you  to  aid  me  in  escaping  that  de- 
vouring monster!  You  are  a  woman — you  have  a 
woman's  heart  that  must  go  out  to  me  in  pity.  I  tell 
you  the  truth  when  I  say  I  would  much  rather  die  than 
submit  to  the  fate  it  has  been  said  I  must  meet !  Don't 
tell  me  Asaph  Holdfast  is  good  and  kind!  He  is  a 
monster  in  human  form!  I  have  seen  the  Evil  One 
in  his  eyes — his  greedy  old  eyes!" 

Then  Asaph  opened  the  door  and  stepped  into  the 
room. 

"Sister  Ayer,"  he  said,  solemnly  and  reprovingly, 
"thou  hast  spoken  words  for  which  thou  shalt  some 
day  repent  in  sackcloth  and  ashes." 

The  girl  fell  back,  uttering  a  cry  of  fear. 

"Don't!"  she  cried — "don't  come  near  me!  Keep 
off!" 


William  Ayer  is  Surprised.  41 

He  did  not  obey,  but  advanced  to  the  center  of  the 
room,  while  she  retreated,  holding  up  her  hands  in 
mute  appeal. 

"Sister  Ayer,"  spoke  the  white-crowned  old  elder, 
"I  have  come  to  take  thee  to  the  Endowment  House, 
where  thou  art  to  be  sealed  to  me  this  day.  Put  on  thy 
street  garments,  and  we  will  start  at  once,  for  already 
there  hath  been  too  much  delay." 

"No!" 

The  girl  uttered  the  word  loudly,  flinging  up  one 
hand. 

"No!"  she  cried  again.     "I  will  not  go!" 
The  good  elder  folded  his  hands,  and  a  sinister, 
mirthless  smile  curled  his  withered  lips. 

"It  has  been  ordained,"  he  declared.     "Get  ready!" 
Then  she  suddenly  fell  on  her  knees  before  him, 
and  with  her  clasped  hands  uplifted,  her  eyes  raining 
tears  down  her  pretty  face,  she  crept  to  his  feet,  beg- 
ging for  mercy. 

It  was  a  spectacle  to  move  a  heart  of  stone,  but 
Asaph  Holdfast  looked  on  calmly,  his  face  emotion- 
less and  unrelenting. 

The  words  of  the  girl  were  wild  and  incoherent — 


42  William  Ayer  is  Surprised. 

her  agony  was  most  pitiful.  Even  the  bovine  seventh 
Mrs.  Holdfast,  with  her  fat,  smothered  nerves,  could 
not  look  on  unstirred,  and  she  turned  away. 

But  what  availed  tears  with  Asaph  Holdfast !  What 
mattered  it  to  him  that  the  tender  heart  of  this  girl 
was  breaking!  What  cared  he  that  she  was  suffering 
such  agony  and  fear  as  few  may  suffer  and  survive! 

He  had  looked  upon  her,  and  she  was  fair  to  his 
eyes.  She  was  young,  with  blue  eyes  and  brown-gold 
hair.  She  was  plump,  and  in  the  bloom  of  perfect 
health.  He  -had  seen  the  rose-blush  in  those  cheeks 
that  now  were  so  pale  and  tear-wet. 

She  looked  up,  and  she  saw  nothing  in  that  cold  face 
that  gave  her  the  slightest  encouragement.  Far  from 
that,  it  crushed  the  hope  in  her  heart. 

But  that  was  not  all  that  -was  left  to  her.  Hate 
came  to  her — such  a  frightful  sensation  as  she  had 
never  before  experienced. 

She  sprang  up,  and  the  look  on  her  face  startled 
Asaph  Holdfast. 

"You  old  monster!" 

She  spoke  the  words  slowly  and  distinctly,  and  each 
word  was  like  a  blow  in  its  intensity.  They  fairly 
moved  the  old  elder,  despite  himself,  but  they  simply 


William  Ayer  is  Surprised.  43 

made  him  sterner  and  more  unrelenting,  if  such  a 
thing  were  possible. 

"Thou  shalt  repent!"  he  said.  "Is  it  necessary  to 
take  thee  to  the  Endowment  House  by  force?" 

"And  you  would  seal  to  you  one  who  hates  you  and 
despises  you!  You  would  make  your  wife  one  who 
loathes  the  very  sight  of  your  wicked  old  face — one 
who  shudders  with  horror  in  your  presence!  Noble 
man,  fit  elder  of  the  Mormon " 

"Stop!  I  may  listen  in  silence  as  you  rail  about 
me,  Sister  Ayer,  but  I  cannot  hear  you  speak  ill  of  the 
church.  Shall  I  send  for  a  conveyance  to  take  you  to 
the  Endowment  House?" 

"No.     I  will  walk." 

"It  is  good/'  bowed  Asaph,  fresh  triumph  in  his 
eyes.  "Prepare." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FRANK    AND    JACK. 

The  two  lads  who  had  found  their  way  into  Beth- 
sada  were  our  friends,  Frank  Merriwell  and  Jack  Dia- 
mond. 

After  leaving  William  Ayer's  cottage,  they  pro- 
ceeded slowly,  and  were  surprised  to  see  a  man  run- 
ning down  a  cross  path  to  get  in  advance  of  them. 

"That  is  singular,"  said  Jack.  "He  seems  to  have 
come  from  the  cottage  we  just  left." 

"And,  unless  I  am  much  mistaken,"  cried  Frank,  "he 
is  the  very  man  who  appeared  at  the  window,  and  with 
whom  we  spoke." 

"I  believe  you  are  right,"  exclaimed  the  young  Vir- 
ginian. 

"Sure  I  am.  What  is  the  old  duck  up  to?  There 
is  something  in  the  wind." 

"You  bet!     He  is  going  to  head  us  off." 

"Well,  if  we  get  off  with  our  heads  after  coming 
here  we'll  be  dead  lucky.  That  is  old  man  Ayer,  the 
girl's  father." 


Frank  and  Jack.  45 

"And  she  is  a  peach!"  burst  enthusiastically  from 
Jack.  "I  don't  wonder  Whitcomb  is  stuck  on  her  and 
crazy  to  save  her  from  the  old  elder  he  says  has  selected 
her  for  a  future  wife." 

"Steady,  Jack — steady,  boy!"  laughed  Frank. 
"You  stand  no  show  in  this  little  game.  Besides  that, 
it  wouldn't  be  a  square  deal  to  Whitcomb,  after  prom- 
ising him  that  we  would  do  our  level  best  to  help  him 
rescue  the  girl,  to  fall  in  love  with  her  and  attempt  to 
steal  her  from  him." 

"Look  here,  Frank,"  cried  Diamond,  somewhat 
hotly,  "I  am  a  man  of  honor,  don't  forget  that!  I 
would  not  think  of  doing  such  a  thing.  We  have 
pledged  ourselves  to  Tom  Whitcomb,  and  we'll  stand 
by  him  through  thick  and  thin." 

"Through  thick  and  thin !"  echoed  Merriwell.  "He 
seems  to  be  a  white  man  and  all  right,  even  if  he  is  a 
Mormon." 

"Do  you  know,  I  am  getting  a  different  opinion  of 
the  Mormons  than  I  once  -had." 

"How  is  that?" 

"Why,  the  Mormons  I  have  seen  seem  like  other 
people.  I  believe  some  of  the  wild  stories  told  about 
their  religion  and  their  ways  are  a  mess  of  lies." 


46  Frank  and  Jack. 

"The  Mormons  are  not  what  they  were,  Jack.  They 
have  changed  in  recent  years,  and  the  younger  Mor- 
mons are  all  right.  They  still  hold  to  their  religion, 
but  they  have  cast  aside  polygamy,  and  I  believe  no 
man  has  a  right  to  say  how  another  shall  worship  God. 
The  Mormons  believe  they  -have  the  only  true  religion, 
and  it  is  their  privilege  to  think  so." 

"Well,  we  won't  discuss  that.  Yon  may  be  sure 
I'll  stand  by  Whitcomb,  and  I'll  not  try  to  steal  his 
girl,  no  matter  how  much  I  may  like  her  appearance. 
What  interests  us  most  now  is  the  man  ahead  of  us. 
See,  he  seems  to  be  warning  the  town!  Look — there 
are  other  men,  and  they  are  running  from  house  to 
house.  By  Jove!  we  are  in  for  a  hot  time  here, 
Frank." 

"Surely  we  are  likely  to  find  it  interesting,"  smiled 
Merriwell. 

As  the  boys  proceeded,  they  found  the  cottages  were 
closed,  and  they  saw  no  signs  of  human  beings  any- 
where about. 

"Crawled  into  their  holes,"  chuckled  Frank.  "They 
seem  to  be  very  shy." 

"I  don't  like  their  shyness,"  admitted  the  Southern 
lad.  "To  me  it  has  an  unhealthy  aspect." 


Frank  and  Jack.  47 

"Let's  get  off  and  see  if  we  can't  raise  somebody." 

"I  am  with  you." 

They  dismounted  before  a  cottage,  and  Frank 
walked  up  boldly  and  rapped  loudly  on  the  door. 

They  waited  a  minute,  and  then  he  rapped  again. 

Another  minute,  and  no  one  answered  the  knock. 

A  third  time  Frank  applied  his  knuckles  to  the  door, 
exclaiming : 

"Here  goes  for  a  corker!" 

But  that  "corker"  produced  no  further  result  than 
had  the  other  knocks. 

"Somebody  lives  here,  that's  sure,"  said  Jack. 

"But  they  are  not  at  home  to  us,  and  that's  sure," 
smiled  Frank. 

"Look,  there  is  a  well.     Let's  get  a  drink." 

Leaving  their  wheels,  they  went  around  the  corner 
to  the  well,  where  they  drew  up  a  bucket  of  water,  and, 
with  the  aid  of  a  handy  dipper,  obtained  a  fresh,  cool- 
ing drink. 

And  what  tasted  better  to  a  hot,  weary  and  dusty 
cyclist  than  a  drink  of  clear,  sparkling  water  from  a 
well  by  the  wayside?  No  wine,  no  drink  prepared  by 
man,  nothing  soothes  and  refreshes  him  like  pure  cool 
water. 


48  Frank  and  Jack. 

If  pure  water  were  not  so  readily  obtained,  if  it  were 
not  a  free  gift  of  nature,  if  it  were  an  invention  of 
man,  all  humanity  would  be  eager  for  it  in  preference 
to  the  most  costly  of  wines,  or  the  finest  liquors.  If 
it  were  scarce  and  hard  to  obtain,  it  would  command 
a  fancy  price,  even  though  beer  ran  in  rivers  every- 
where. 

Does  the  boy  who  considers  it  a  manly  thing  to 
drink  beer  and  whiskey,  even  though  the  taste  of  the 
stuff  may  be  nauseating  to  him,  and  who  speaks  pertly 
of  water  as  "good  stuff  to  bathe  in"— does  he  ever 
pause  to  think  what  a  foolish  fellow  he  is? 

He  drinks  beer  or  whiskey  because  he  thinks  it  is  a 
manly  thing  to  do;  but  it  is  far  more  manly  to  drink 
water,  and  truthfully  say  he  does  not  like  beer  or 
whiskey  and  so  will  not  drink  anything  he  does  not 
like. 

The  boy  who  will  do  this  and  stick  to  It  is  a  moral 
hero,  and  he  has  in  him  the  stuff  that  makes  a  suc- 
cessful and  honored  man.  The  more  he  is  ridiculed 
and  "guyed"  by  his  friends  and  acquaintances,  the 
greater  hero  he  is,  and  the  more  he  will  be  respected 
in  the  years  to  come. 

Not  afl  the  -heroes  wear  epaulettes  on  their  shoulders. 


Frank  and  Jack.  49 

The  humblest  boy  in  the  smallest  and  most  obscure  vil- 
lage has  scores  of  opportunities  to  become  a  hero,  al- 
though it  is  seldom  he  recognizes  the  fact. 

He  may  not  be  regarded  as  a  hero,  but  that  will 
make  him  no  less  a  hero.  Let  him  refuse  to  do  any- 
thing -he  may  know  is  wrong,  and  thus  he  has  become 
a  hero. 

The  world  is  full  of  heroes  and  heroic  deeds. 

Having  obtained  a  drink  from  the  well,  the  boys 
went  back  to  their  wheels,  which  they  brought  into  the 
shade  of  the  cottage,  w-here  they  sat  down. 

From  their  position  they  could  obtain  a  fine  view  of 
the  town,  which  they  enjoyed  greatly. 

Jack  was  restless,  but  Frank  seemed  quite  at  ease. 

"It's  no  use  to  get  all  torn  up  over  this  matter," 
Merriwell  said.  "We  have  to  take  things  as  they 
come." 

"I  never  saw  another  fellow  like  you!"  cried  Jack. 
"I  believe  if  you  were  to  lose  both  your  legs,  you'd 
coolly  observe  that  it  couldn't  be  helped  and  that  you 
didn't  propose  to  cry  over  spilled  milk." 

"Well,  we've  got  to  stay  here  till  Whitcomb  comes, 
anyway.  We  made  a  hustle  to  get  here  before  the 
girl  was  sealed  to  the  old  elder,  having  promised  him 


50  Frank  and  Jack. 

we'd  do  our  best  to  defend  her  and  save  her  till  he 
showed  up." 

"That's  right,  and  it  was  a  most  remarkable  chance 
that  caused  us  to  find  her  immediately  on  entering  the 
town.  When  you  saw  the  girl  at  the  window  and 
asked  her  if  she  knew  a  Miss  Lona  Ayer,  she  nearly 
took  away  my  breath  by  saying  she  was  Lona  Ayer." 

"I  came  near  dropping  dead  myself,"  confessed 
Frank. 

Thus  they  chatted  for  a  while  till  they  saw  three 
persons  slowly  advancing  down  the  road.  One  was 
a  man  with  white  beard  and  hair.  The  others  were  a 
stout  woman  and  a  young  girl. 

"Here  they  cornel"  said  Frank,  rising  to  his  feet. 
"The  old  villain  is  taking  her  to  the  Endowment 
House.  Here's  where  we'll  have  to  get  in  our  work, 
Jack.  It  is  going  to  be  a  warm  morning." 

The  boys  arose  to  their  feet  and  stood  by  their 
wheels,  in  lively  anticipation  of  what  was  to  follow. 

"Yes,"  said  Frank,  repeating  his  remark,  "it  is  bound 
to  be  a  very  warm  morning,  Jack.  Here's  where 
we've  got  to  get  in  our  work." 

"We  can't  wait    for    Whitcomb,"  fluttered  Jack. 


Frank  and  Jack.  51 

"We've  got  to  make  an  attempt  to  save  that  girl — at 
any  cost." 

"Oh,  but  you  are  hard  hit!"  murmured  Merriwell. 
"I  believe  you  would  be  pleased  if  Whitcomb  never 
put  in  an  appearance." 

"Oh,  don't  talk  of  that!  Quit  your  jollying!  This 
is  no  time  for  fooling,  Merry.  What  are  we  going 
to  do  to  stop  this  affair  ?" 

"Well,  we'll  hold  a  little  argument  with  Elder  Hold- 
fast." 

"Argument?  What  good  will  that  do?  Is  there 
a  bug  in  your  head,  old  man?  We'll  have  to  work, 
not  argue." 

"Sometimes  it  is  work  to  argue,"  smiled  Merriwell, 
coolly.  "If  you  were  provided  with  a  tandem  now,  we 
might  get  the  girl  away  from  the  old  duck  and  carry 
her  off." 

"But  we'd  not  be  able  to  get  out  of  the  valley." 

"We  might.  We  could  attempt  to  run  the  gauntlet 
of  the  sentinels  at  the  eastern  entrance." 

"Well,  we  haven't  a  tandem,  so  talk  about  some- 
thing we  can  do.  They  are  getting  very  near !" 

"If  she  were  a  boy  one  of  us  could  carry  her  off  on 
his  back." 


52  Frank  and  Jack. 

"We'll  have  to  try  it  now!"  exclaimed  Jack,  des- 
perately. "She  can  cling  around  my  neck,  and  I'll 
try  it !" 

"You're  excited,  old  man.  We'd  never  get  off  like 
that." 

"Well,  for  goodness'  sake  tell  what  we  can  do !" 

"Keep  cool.  Here  they  are.  We'll  jolly  the  old 
elder." 

The  girl  saw  them  first,  and  a  look  of  relief  and 
joy  swept  over  her  sad  face.  They  had  not  deserted 
her ;  they  were  still  there. 

As  Elder  Holdfast  approached  with  sober  step  and 
slow,  Frank  and  Jack  pushed  out  to  the  street,  and 
Merriwell  hailed  the  man. 

"Excuse  me,  my  dear  sir,"  said  Frank,  doffing  his 
cap.  "I  wish  to  speak  with  you  a  moment." 

Holdfast  halted  in  surprise,  turning  his  eyes  toward 
them. 

"Ahem!"  coughed  Frank,  smiling  sweetly.  "I  wish 
to  call  your  attention,  sir,  to  the  latest  model  of  the 
Get  There  Bicycle,  the  perfect  wheel,  none  other  like  it 
on  earth.  We  are  agents  for  the  Get  There,  and  we 
are  introducing  them  all  through  the  West,  where  they 
are  giving  the  most  perfect  satisfaction.  They  have 


Frank  and  Jack.  53 

reinforced  forks,  the  stoutest  diamond  frame  in  ex- 
istence, the  most  beautiful  and  perfect  sprocket  ever 
made,  the  greatest  crank-shafts  ever  conceived,  ball- 
bearing head,  Never  Pop  tires,  and  other  advantages 
over  the  ordinary  wheels  which  I  will  be  pleased  to 
point  out.  You  should  secure  one  of  these  wheels 
for  yourself,  sir,  another  for  your  wife,  and  a  third 
for  your  charming  daughter.'-' 

Frank  bowed  low  to  Lona,  whipping  out  a  note  book 
and  pencil  as  he  did  so,  and  continuing,  before  Hold- 
fast could  catch  his  breath. 

"Permit  me  to  take  your  order,  sir,  for  your  entire 
family.  Wheels  to  be  paid  for  on  deliverance,  satis- 
faction guaranteed  or  money  refunded,  all  wheels  to 
be  kept  in  repair  for  one  year  free  of  charge  if  brought 
to  any  of  our  regular  agencies.  Your  name  and  ad- 
dress, sir.  I  will  take  your  measure  to  see  what  height 
frame  you  require." 

"Avaunt,  ungodly  Gentiles!"  cried  Elder  Holdfast, 
uplifting  his  hands,  with  an  expression  of  horror  on 
his  face.  "Remove  from  my  sight  these  inventions  of 
Satan!" 

"Eh?"  exclaimed  Frank,  in  apparent  surprise.     "1»- 


54  Frank  and  Jack. 

ventions  of  which  ?  Come  again.  I  slipped  a  cog  and 
didn't  quite  get  you  that  trip." 

"Get  behind  me!"  sternly  commanded  Asaph. 

"I  could  do  that  all  right  on  a  tandem,  sir,"  chirped 
Frank,  pleasantly.  "Perhaps  you  would  choose  to 
have  a  tandem  for  yourself  and  wife,  while  you  pur- 
chase an  ordinary  wheel  for  your  daughter.  The  Get 
There  Tandem  is  a  peach !  It  is  a  thing  of  beauty  and 
a  joy  forever.  You  don't  have  to  push  it  along,  al- 
though it  is  a  good  thing — it  goes  itself.  Actually  you 
have  to  hold  it  back  to  keep  it  from  running  away  with 
you — when  you  are  going  down  hill.  Talk  about  fly- 
ing, why,  my  dear  sir,  the  Get  There  Tandem  has 
wings !  Get  it  fairly  started,  and  it  touches  the  ground 
only  in  high  places.  I  assure  you,  sir,  I  firmly  believe 
it  will  be  the  nearest  approach  to  flying  that  you  will 
ever  make." 

"Come,"  said  Elder  Holdfast,  speaking  to  the  bo- 
vine Mrs.  Holdfast  and  the  girl ;  "we  will  leave  these 
Gentiles  to  their  own  destruction,  which  they  have 
brought  upon  their  heads." 

"Now,  don't  tear  yourself  away,"  entreated  Frank. 
"Stop  a  while,  and  we  will  talk  it  over.  It  is  possible 
you  are  prejudiced  against  a  wheel,  but  I  think  I  can 


Frank  and  Jack.  55 

overcome  that  if  you  will  lend  me  your  pocketbook — I 
mean  your  ear.  You  may  not  see  the  advantages  to 
be  derived  from  bicycling.  Few  do  at  first.  On  some 
it  dawns  slowly,  while  others  have  to  have  it  beaten 
into  their  heads  with  a  club.  Now  I'd  like  the  job 
of  beating  it  into  your  head  if  you " 

But  Asaph  would  stop  to  hear  no  more. 

"Come!"  he  again  commanded;  "we  will  go  on." 

He  started,  and  the  woman  placed  an  urging  hand  oh 
the  arm  of  the  pretty  girl ;  but  the  girl  shook  that  hand 
off,  ran  swiitly  toward  the  boys,  flung  herself  on  her 
knees  before  them,  and  wildly  cried : 

"Save  me — save  me  from  that  old  wretch  1  He  is 
dragging  me  to  the  Endowment  House,  where  I  am  to 
be  sealed  to  him!" 


CHAPTER  V. 

A  DASH    TO   THE   RESCUE. 

"What's  this?"  cried  Frank,  in  apparent  surprise. 
"Sealed  to  him?  Why,  isn't  he  your  father?" 

"No,  no!  Tom  must  have  told  you  about  him. 
This  is  Asaph  Holdfast,  who  is  trying  to  force  me  to 
become  one  of  his  many  wives.  Save  me  from  him !" 

By  this  time  Jack  had  reached  the  girl  and  lifted  her 
to  her  feet,  placing  a  protecting  arm  about  her,  as  he 
swiftly  whispered  in  her  ear: 

"We'll  stand  by  you,  don't  be  afraid.  We  knew  you 
all  the  time,  and  Merry  is  chaffing  old  Holdfast." 

"Don't  let  him  touch  me  again !" 

"If  he  does,  it  will  be  over  my  dead  body !"  came  in 
a  rather  stagy  manner  from  the  lips  of  the  young  Vir- 
ginian. 

Frank  gave  the  Mormon  elder  a  reproving  look,  and 
shook  his  head,  as  he  sadly  said : 

"Oh,  Asaph,  Asaph!  methinks  thou  arrt  an  old  rat! 
Why,  I  thought  she  was  your  daughter  all  the  while — 
or  your  granddaughter.  I  was  not  clear  on  that  point, 


A  Dash  to  the  Rescue.  57 

but  thought  I  would  flatter  you  by  calling  her  your 
daughter.  And  you  are  thinking  of  making  her  your 
wife  against  her  will !  My !  my !  Asaph,  old  fel.,  you 
are  a  sad  dog,  indeed !" 

The  old  elder  gasped  for  breath  and  nearly  turned 
black  in  the  face.  No  longer  was  he  icy  cool.  The 
insolence  of  the  young  Gentile  was  enough  to  arouse 
a  man  of  stone.  .  ^ 

But  what  aroused  Asaph  more  than  anything  else 
was  the  sight  of  Jack  Diamond,  with  his  arm  about 
Lona  and  his  face  close  to  hers,  as  he  spoke  some  fer- 
vent vow  in  her  ear. 

"Unhand  that  girl,  thou  unholy  one !"  shouted  Elder 
Holdfast.  "Cease  to  defile  her  with  thy  polluting 
touch!" 

He  took  a  step  toward  Jack,  but  Frank  ran  his  bi- 
cycle between  them  and  interposed  his  own  body. 

"Let's  talk  this  matter  over,"  he  said,  smoothly. 

"Stand  aside!"  snarled  the  Mormon,  with  a  mena- 
cing gesture. 

Frank  did  not  seem  at  all  alarmed. 

"Don't  get  gay  with  me,  Asaph,"  he  smiled.  "I  have 
a  desire  to  respect  your  gray  hairs,  although  I  fear  it 
would  be  difficult  to  do  so.  I  am  a  great  respecter  of 


58  A  Dash  to  the  Rescue. 

age,  but  surely  nothing  is  more  repulsive  and  harder 
to  respect  than  a  wicked  old  man  who  makes  a  bluff 
at  being  pious." 

"Oh,  thou  shalt  suffer  for  this !"  fumed  the  old  elder. 

"I  am  willing  to  take  chances  on  that.  What  I  most 
wish  to  know  is  if  it  is  quite  true  that  you  have  more 
than  one  wife,  and  you  are  thinking  of  forcing  this 
young  and  defenseless  girl  to  marry  you?  Give  it  to 
us  straight,  old  boy." 

"It  is  none  of  thy  business,  meddling  Gentile!" 

"To  you  it  may  seem  none  of  my  business,  but, 
however,  nevertheless  and  likewise,  I  have  an  inclina- 
tion to  make  it  some  of  my  business.  It's  a  way  I 
have.  You  may  call  me  down  and  say  I  am  too  fresh 
and  all  that,  but  it  won't  make  any  difference.  I  have 
traveled  in  Europe,  Eerup  and  Ohrup,  and  slipped 
through  Greece,  but  travel  has  never  seemed  to  cure 
me  of  my  freshness  to  any  great  extent.  I'm  always 
getting  into  trouble  by  mixing  into  some  affair  where 
I'm  not  invited,  but  still  I  continue  to  mix,  while  I  use 
arnica  on  my  bruised  and  battered  body  and  beefsteak 
poultices  on  the  blackened  eyes  I  receive." 

"Get  out!"  cried  Holdfast,  with  a  flourish  of  his 
arms,  in  doing  which  he  struck  the  seventh  Mrs.  Hold- 


A  Dash  to  the  Rescue.  59 

fast  a  smacking  backhand  slap  in  the  face  nearly  upset- 
ting her. 

"Gently,  gently,  Asaph,"  cautioned  Frank.  "If  you 
flourish  your  arms  like  a  windmill,  you  will  be  sure  to 
damage  some  one," 

Then  the  elder  uplifted  his  voice  and  uttered  a  wild, 
strange  cry. 

Almost  immediately  the  door  of  the  cottage  behind 
the  two  boys  flew  open,  and  out  rushed  two  men. 

Diamond  did  not  see  the  men,  and  they  were  close 
upon  him  when  Holdfast  uttered  an  order. 

"Take  that  girl  from  the  Gentile." 

Lona  gave  a  cry  of  warning  and  fear. 

"Look  out!"  she  screamed. 

As  Jack  turned,  he  received  a  heavy  blow  tliat 
stretched  him  stunned  upon  the  ground. 

"Here's  where  things  commence  to  boil,"  murmured 
Merriwell,  as  he  made  a  jump  for  the  man. 

The  Mormon  seemed  to  think  it  would  be  an  easy 
thing  to  handle  that  young  fellow,  but  he  met  with  the 
greatest  surprise  of  his  life,  for  Frank  gave  a  side 
swing,  ducked  under  the  fellow's  arms,  caught  him 
about  the  body,  lifted  him  from  his  feet,  and  threw 
him  down  upon  his  head  and  shoulders. 


60  A  Dash  to  the  Rescue. 

Elder  Holdfast  had  started  toward  the  man  who  was 
holding  the  screaming  girl,  but  he  halted  in  amaze- 
ment when  he  saw  how  swiftly  and  easily  Merriwell 
disposed  of  the  other  man. 

But  the  elder's  cries  had  aroused  more  than  two 
men.  Several  others  were  hurrying  toward  the  spot, 
as  Merriwell  saw. 

"Ginger!"  he  exclaimed  to  himself.  "This  is  bad! 
We  can't  carry  the  girl  off,  and  we'll  be  beaten  by  num- 
bers. Jack  seems  to  have  been  knocked  out  at  the 
start." 

Still  he  made  his  lunge  at  the  man  with  the  girl, 
snatched  her  away,  and  gave  the  fellow  a  thump  that 
staggered  him. 

In  her  excitement  and  terror,  however,  the  girl  clung 
to  Frank  so  tightly  that  he  was  not  able  to  use  his  arms. 
Then  it  was  that  the  men  rushed  upon  him,  and  he  re- 
ceived a  shower  of  blows  that  felled  him  to  the  ground. 

The  girl  was  borne  shrieking  away,  while  the  young 
bicyclists  were  left  lying  on  the  ground. 

Frank  was  the  first  to  recover  and  sit  up.  He 
reached  over  and  gave  Jack  a  shake,  cheerfully  saying : 

"Make  a  brace,  old  man.  Are  you  still  in  the 
game?" 


A  Dash  to  the  Rescue.  61 

Jack's  eyes  were  open,  but  he  was  dazed  by  the 
shock  of  the  blow  and  fall.  He  sat  up  with  difficulty, 
staring  blankly  around. 

"Did  I  fall,  or  was  I  pushed?"  he  murmured.  "It 
seems  to  have  been  a  combination  of  circumstances. 
It  strikes  me  that  I  was  pushed." 

Then  Jack  seemed  to  realize  what  had  happened, 
and  he  cried: 

"Miss  Ayer — what  has  become  of  her  ?" 

"Elder  Holdfast  and  his  minions  were  too  many  for 
us,  and  he  has  carried  her  off." 

Jack  struggled  to  his  feet,  staggering  dizzily. 

"We — we  must  follow!"  he  hoarsely  exclaimed. 
"We  must  stop  him  before  he  reaches  the  Endowment 
House.  "Remember  our  promise  to  Whitcomb, 
Frank." 

"I  remember,"  said  Frank.  "It'll  not  be  our  fault 
if  we  fail  to  keep  it.  We'll  make  another  bluff.  For- 
tunately they  have  not  taken  our  wheels." 

Getting  on  their  feet,  they  could  see  a  party  of  men 
far  down  the  road  that  led  toward  the  Endowment 
House,  whither  they  were  hurrying.  In  the  midst  of 
those  men  the  unfortunate  girl  was  being  carried  along, 
while  Elder  Holdfast  rushed  on  in  the  lead. 


62  A  Dash  to  the  Rescue. 

"Quick,  Frank !"  cried  Jack.  "If  we  lose  a  moment, 
they'll  reach  the  Endowment  House  ahead  of  us." 

"We  can't  hold  'em  up  long,  at  most,  but  we'll  try 
to  hold  'em  up  as  long  as  we  can.  Come  on !" 

T-hey  mounted  their  wheels,  and  away  they  went 
down  the  road  in  pursuit  of  the  party  that  had  carried 
off  the  girl. 

Jack  was  wildly  excited  by  the  fear  that  the  girl 
would  be  dragged  into  the  Endowment  House  before 
they  could  reach  her. 

Frank  was  trying  to  think  of  some  scheme  for  carry- 
ing the  girl  off  bodily  and  bidding  defiance  to  the  Mor- 
mons for  a  time.  It  seemed  utterly  impossible  to  cfo 
such  a  thing,  and  he  began  to  feel  that  they  had  at- 
tempted a  task  that  would  have  appalled  men  of  sober 
judgment. 

Nearer  and  nearer  the  Endowment  House  rushed 
the  party  with  the  girl,  the  Mormon  elder  urging  them 
on,  as  he  ran  along  in  advance. 

The  seventh  Mrs.  Holdfast  was  too  fleshy  to  keep 
up  with  the  others,  and  she  had  fallen  behind.  She 
saw  the  bicycle  boys  coming  in  pursuit,  and  placed  her- 
self in  the  middle  of  the  street,  wildly  nourishing  her 
umbrella,  and  shouting  for  them  to  stop. 


A  Dash  to  the  Rescue.  63 

"Out  of  the  way!"  cried  Jack. 

"We  need  room!"  shouted  Frank. 

But  the  woman  resolutely  stood  her  ground,  un- 
mindful of  all  danger. 

"Look  out!  Do  not  run  her  down/'  warned  Mer- 
riwell. 

Both  boys  were  spinning  straight  ahead,  and  she 
aimed  a  blow  at  them  as  they  came  near.  Lite  a 
flash,  they  swerved  aside  and  sped  past,  passing  on 
either  side  of  her. 

The  umbrella  cut  the  air  with  great  force,  and,  as 
it  met  with  no  obstruction,  the  woman  was  thrown  for- 
ward in  the  road  by  the  impetus  of  her  own  blow. 

Holdfast  saw  the  boys  coming,  and  he  urged  the 
men  to  hasten  still  more  in  getting  the  unwilling  girl 
into  the  Endowment  House. 

The  very  door  of  the  building  was  reached,  and  it 
seemed  that  Frank  and  Jack  would  be  too  late. 

At  that  moment  a  horseman  appeared,  coming 
around  the  building  at  a  mad  gallop.  He  wore  old 
clothes,  and  his  long  white  beard  was  split  and  fanned 
over  each  shoulder  by  the  wind.  His  head  was  bare, 
and  his  hair,  like  his  beard,  was  white. 


64  A  Dash  to  the  Rescue. 

"Stop !"  shouted  the  old  man.  "Unhand  that  girl, 
or  feel  the  wrath  of  an  avenging  one!" 

"It  is  Old  Lonely,  the  crazy  prophet!"  cried  the 
Mormons. 

"Do  not  mind  him!"  came  from  the  lips  of  Elder 
Holdfast  "Into  the  Endowment  House  with  the 
girl!" 

But  the  horseman  charged  straight  into  the  knot  of 
men,  who  scattered  before  him.  He  stooped  and 
caught  up  the  girl,  in  doing  which  he  accidentally  tore 
the  beard  from  his  face,  showing  it  was  false. 

The  girl  saw  his  face,  and  a  scream  of  amazement 
and  joy  came  from  her  lips. 

"Lona,  my  darling!"  he  cried,  as  he  lifted  her  from 
the  ground. 

"Tom — Tom,  my  sweetheart!"  she  joyfully  sobbed. 

Then  the  big  white  horse  bore  them  both  away. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE     MAD     PROPHET. 

The  scattered  Mormons  were  dumb  with  amaze- 
ment, scarcely  able  to  believe  what  their  eyes  had  be- 
held. 

Scores  of  times  they  had  seen  the  old  hermit  come 
into  the  town,  and  never  before  had  he  attempted  an 
act  of  hostility  toward  them. 

The  old  hermit?  Was  this  the  same  old  man? 
True  he  had  looked  like  Old  Lonely  as  he  came  char- 
ging around  the  Endowment  House,  but  the  Mad 
Prophet  had  never  been  known  to  possess  a  horse,  and 
the  accident  which  had  snatched  the  false  beard  from 
the  man's  face  -had  betrayed  the  fact  that  he  was  not 
old  at  all,  but  was  a  young-  man  in  disguise. 

Certain  it  was  that  they  had  not  been  deceived  right 
along  by  the  prophet.  This  was  a  person  who  had 
made  himself  up  to  look  like  Old  Lonely,  but  it  could 
not  be  Old  Lonely. 

Frank  and  Jack  had  witnessed  the  rescue  of  the 


66  The  Mad  Prophet. 

girl,  and  they  had  recognized  Whitcomb  when  he 
straightened  up  with  Lona  in  his  arms. 

Off  came  the  caps  of  the  two  bicyclists,  and  the  Yale 
yell  of  triumph  pealed  from  their  lips. 

"Hey,  Whitcomb!"  shouted  Frank,  with  satisfac- 
tion. 

"He  was  on  hand,  after  all,"  said  Jack,  and  it  seemed 
that  there  was  a  shade  of  disappointment  in  his  voice. 

"Don't  let  it  hit  you  like  that,  old  chap,"  laughed 
Frank.  "If  he  hadn't  been  on  hand,  we'd  been  too 
late." 

"That's  right,"  confessed  Diamond. 

"Alice  samee,  we  held  old  Holdfast  up  long  enough 
to  give  Whitcomb  a  chance  to  get  here.  He  has  us 
to  thank  for  that." 

"But  he  doesn't  propose  to  thank  us.  He  is  going 
to  get  out  as  fast  as  he  can,  and  leave  us  to  hoe  our 
own  row." 

"That's  all  right.  He's  got  the  girl,  and  his  first 
thought  is  to  save  her." 

"He  ought  to  have  a  thought  for  us,  after  what  we 
have  done  for  him.  We  have  risked  our  lives." 

"I  don't  believe  he'll  forget  us.  We  must  follow 
him." 


The  Mad  Prophet.  67 

Follow  him  they  did,  but  the  horse  bore  the  young 
man  up  a  steep  hill,  and  then  they  disappeared  from 
view.  When  the  boys  reached  the  top  of  the  ascent 
nothing  of  the  young  couple  could  be  seen. 

In  the  meantime,  the  Mormons  had  been  preparing 
for  pursuit. 

Asaph  Holdfast  was  dazed  when  he  saw  the  false 
beard  torn  from  the  face  of  the  horseman  and  recog- 
nized the  young  Mormon  lover  of  Lona  Ayer. 

Asa  -had  believed  the  horseman  was  the  mad  prophet, 
and  the  metamorphosis  into  a  young  man  seemed 
magical. 

But  the  old  elder  quickly  recovered,  and  then  he 
shouted : 

"After  him!  Do  not  let  him  escape  from  our 
clutches.  Lose  no  time.  The  sentries  must  be 
warned,  and  these  intruders  shall  not  be  permitted  to 
escape.  Bring  back  the  girl  without  harm,  for  she  is 
the  daughter  of  a  brother  Mormon,  and  is  to  become 
my  wife.  Go!" 

They  hastened  away  to  obey  his  commands. 

Horses  were  soon  gathered,  and  a  body  of  pursuers 
were  following  Whitcomb  and  the  girl,  who  did  not 
seem  inclined  to  make  for  either  outlet  from  the  valley, 


68  The  Mad  Prophet. 

but  struck  straight  toward  the  steepest  and  most  for- 
midable range  of  mountains. 

The  street  came  to  an  end,  and  the  ground  grew 
rougher  and  rougher.  Onward  they  pressed,  till  it 
seemed  that  horses  could  go  no  farther. 

Then  they  came  upon  the  very  same  white  horse 
on  which  the  rescuer  had  appeared — the  animal  that 
had  borne  the  young  man  and  the  girl  away. 

"They  can't  be  very  far  away!"  cried  the  leader  of 
the  party,  triumphantly.  "Watch  out  for  them.  Re- 
member, do  not  harm  the  girl.  If  he  gives  up  quietly, 
take  the  man  captive.  If  he  fights — well,  his  blood  be 
on  his  own  head!" 

In  less  than  a  minute  a  great  shout  went  up,  and  one 
in  advance  was  seen  excitedly  pointing  toward  some- 
thing. 

Looking  in  the  direction  indicated,  they  saw,  sitting 
on  a  bowlder,  an  old  man  with  long  white  hair  and 
beard. 

It  was  Old  Lonely! 

In  a  moment  a  dozen  guns  were  aimed  at  the  Mad 
Prophet,  and  he  was  ordered  to  surrender  quietly. 

He  looked  at  them  without  moving  or  speaking. 


The  Mad  Prophet  69 

His  eyes  alone  told  that  there  was  life  in  his  body,  for 
he  sat  there  like  an  image  of  stone. 

They  advanced  and  surrounded  him. 

"We  have  caught  you,  old  man!"  they  cried,  tri- 
umphantly. 

Then  he  arose. 

"What  wouldst  thou  with  me  ?"  he  asked,  in  a  deep, 
full-chested  voice.  "I  am  here." 

"Where  are  they — where  have  you  hidden  them?" 
fiercely  demanded  the  leader  of  the  Mormons.  "Speak, 
and  tell  the  truth !" 

"I  never  speak  anything  but  the  truth,"  he  declared, 
his  eyes  gleaming  from  beneath  the  shaggy  eyebrows. 
"But  the  truth  is  something  seldom  heard  in  this  for- 
bidden valley.  Down  here  it  is  that  lies  are  upheld  as 
the  gospel  of  Heaven,  and  the  weak  and  lowly  are 
trodden  under  foot  until  the  very  rocks  and  hills  cry 
out,  'How  long,  my  Lord,  -how  long?' ' 

"Oh,  shut  up!"  coarsely  commanded  the  leader. 
"You  can't  play  that  game  any  more.  We  have  been 
fooled  long  enough  by  it.  Now  we  know  you  have 
aided  our  enemies,  and  that  settles  your  case.  It  must 
have  been  you  who  aided  them  to  enter  the  valley,  and 


7o  The  Mad  Prophet 

you  provided  one  with  a  disguise  that  made  him  look 
like  you." 

"How  do  we  know  that  this  is  not  the  same  one — the 
same  fellow?"  cried  one  of  the  party.  "It  may  have 
been  a  trick  all  along.  Try  his  whiskers." 

Then  a  hand  reached  out  and  gave  the  beard  of  the 
Mad  Prophet  a  strong,  sharp  jerk. 

It  did  not  come  off,  and  it  was  seen  by  those  nearest 
that  it  was  genuine  beyond  a  doubt.  The  man  who 
carried  off  the  girl  had  provided  himself  with  a  dis- 
guise in  some  way,  and  had  fooled  those  who  saw  him 
till  the  moment  when  he  unwittingly  unmasked  him- 
self as  he  snatched  the  girl  up. 

Fire  gleamed  from  the  eyes  of  the  hermit,  and  it 
was  plain  he  did  not  like  the  treatment  he  was  receiv- 
ing. 

"There  cometh  a  day  of  judgment,"  he  said,  -his 
heavy  voice  rumbling  away  in  the  caverns  of  his  breast 
— "a  day  in  which  the  oppressor  shall  tremble,  and  the 
oppressed  shall  rejoice.  Beware  of  that  day!  Touch 
me  not!  Let  me  pass!" 

He  made  a  move  to  leave  the  spot,  but  they  crowded 
still  closer  about  him,  and  the  leader  cried: 

"You  cannot  go!     We  are  going  to  hold  you  now, 


The  Mad  Prophet.  71 

till  you  confess  the  truth.  You  shall  be  taken  down 
into  the  valley  and  imprisoned  there  till " 

A  hoarse,  mocking  laugh  broke  from  the  old  man's 
lips. 

"You  cannot  take  me,"  he  declared.  "Place  thy 
hands  upon  me  at  thy  peril!  Stand  aside!" 

"Grab  him  and  hold  him !"  cried  the  leader. 

They  attempted  to  do  so,  and  the  Mad  Prophet 
struck  out  with  his  bony  fists,  his  arms  working  like 
piston  rods,  and  a  fierce  fire  blazing  in  his  eyes. 
Smack!  smack!  smack!  sounded  his  blows,  and  men 
reeled  back  before  them. 

"Blow,  horn  of  Joshua,  and  let  the  walls  totter  and 
fall!"  he  thundered,  as  -he  struck  right  and  left. 
"Smite,  sword  of  Gideon,  and  let  thy  enemies  feel  thy 
destroying  touch !  Stand  still,  O  sun  in  yonder  sky — 
stand  still  till  the  battle  shall  be  finished !  As  Samson 
smote  the  Philistines  thus  will  I  smite  and  slay  my  ene- 
mies!" 

And  it  was  marvelous  how  he  beat  them  back  and 
sent  them  reeling  and  falling  before  his  blows. 

At  a  distance,  amid  the  rocks  farther  up  the  moun- 
tain, crouched  Frank  Merriwell  and  Jack  Diamond, 
where  they  had  hidden.  They  could  see  the  old  man 


72  The  Mad  Prophet. 

battling  against  great  odds,  and  their  hearts  were  filled 
with  admiration  for  him.  With  his  snow-white  hair 
and  beard,  he  loomed  above  his  assailants,  and  the 
words  that  came  from  his  lips  were  distinctly  heard  by 
the  bicycle  boys.  It  seemed  that  a  strange  soft  light 
fell  on  his  old  face,  and  to  Frank  he  was  the  counter- 
part of  some  patriarch  of  Bible  times. 

"Look  at  him!"  exclaimed  Diamond.  "Merciful 
goodness!  he  is  a  wonderful  fighter!  It  is  astound- 
ing!" 

"It  is !"  declared  Frank ;  "and  I  can't  stand  this  any 
longer!" 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  ?" 

"I  am  not  going  to  keep  still  and  see  him  battle 
against  such  odds.  I  am  going  down  and  give  him  a 
hand.  Come  on!"  . 

"Stop,  Frank !     It's  no  use  to " 

But  Merriwell  had  impulsively  bounded  down  the 
rocky  steep,  and  Jack  followed  him  as  fast  as  pos- 
sible. 

Fierce  and  terrible  was  the  fight  made  by  the  Mad 
Prophet,  but  his  enemies  crowded  upon  him  and  beat 
him  down  by  force  of  numbers. 

Once  he  sank  to  his  knees,  and  they  uttered  cries  of 


The  Mad  Prophet.  73 

triumph,  thinking  he  was  conquered;  but  he  arose 
again,  flinging  them  off  with  his  powerful  arms. 

"Nay!  nay!"  he  thundered;  "think  not  to  conquer 
me  thus  easily !  The  strength  of  the  Mighty  One  is  in 
these  arms  and  a  holy  fire  burns  in  my  heart!  Thou 
shalt  fall  before  me  as  the  Philistines  fell  before  Sam- 
son! Down!  down!  down!" 

But  he  was  human,  and  they  beat  him  to  his  knees 
again,  struck  him  on  the  head,  and  stretched  him  pow- 
erless on  the  ground,  where  they  flung  themselves  upon 
him. 

Then  it  was  that,  with  a  loud  Yale  yell,  Frank  Mer- 
riwell  came  charging  like  a  wild  steer  right  into  their 
midst,  with  Jack  Diamond  following  him  closely. 

Biff!  biff!  biff!  rained  the  blows  from  the  hard 
fists  of  the  two  young  athletes,  and  every  blow  counted. 

They  came  near  creating  a  panic  among  the  Mor- 
mon gang,  but  the  leader  held  the  men  from  taking 
to  their  heels,  and  the  boys  quickly  found  themselves 
in  the  midst  of  a  red-hot  fight. 

"Give  it  to  them,  Jack!"  rang  out  Frank's  clear 
voice.  "Show  them  the  kind  of  stuff  old  Yale  turns 
out!" 

Never  in  all  his  life  had  Frank  felt  so  strong  and 


74  The  Mad  Prophet. 

dauntless.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he  had  been  given 
strength  and  skill  for  the  occasion.  He  smashed  a 
man  in  the  mouth  with  his  right,  drove  his  left  into  the 
pit  of  another  man's  stomach,  dodged  several  hands 
that  were  stretched  out  to  grasp  him,  minded  not  the 
blows  that  fell  upon  him,  and  in  the  midst  of  it  all  he 
laughed ! 

Jack  was  not  backward.  He  could  fight  also,  and 
the  Mormons  were  astounded  and  amazed  by  the  ter- 
rific onslaught  of  the  reckless  college  lads. 

"A  thousand  furies !"  snarled  the  leader  of  the  gang, 
spitting  out  teeth,  after  receiving  a  blow  on  the  mouth 
from  Merriwell's  hard  fist.  "What  ails  you,  men? 
Beat  them  down!  Kill  them!" 

"If  that's  it,  we'll  die  game !"  flung  back  Frank. 

"Hurrah!"  shouted  Diamond,  his  dark  cheeks 
flushed  and  his  eyes  flashing  fire.  "There  will  be 
some  satisfaction  in  making  a  die  of  it  in  this  manner, 
if  croak  we  must!" 

"You're  the  right  stuff,  old  man!"  cried  Frank. 
"That's  the  sort  of  stuff  old  Virginia  turns  out! 
They  make  men  down  in  old  Virginia !" 

The  boys  clung  together. 


The  Mad  Prophet.  75 

"Back  to  back!"  directed  Frank.  "We'll  fight  as 
long  as  we  can  in  that  manner." 

"The  Lord  of  Hosts  hath  raised  up  friends  for  me 
in  my  hour  of  need!"  thundered  the  deep  voice  of  the 
Mad  Prophet,  as  he  suddenly  flung  off  the  last  of  those 
who  were  trying  to  hold  him  down. 

He  arose,  and  his  white-crowned  head  towered  in 
the  midst  of  his  enemies. 

"Give  it  to  them!  We  are  with  you!"  encouraged 
Merriwell. 

Old  Lonely  did  "give  it  to  them."  Again  he  fought 
like  a  modern  Hercules,  and  his  face  wore  an  inspired 
look,  as  he  shouted  these  words: 

"The  triumph  of  the  wicked  shall  be  short,  and  in 
the  day  of  judgment  their  punishment  shall  be  great. 
'Twill  be  then  they  shall  hear  the  awful  words,  'Depart 
from  me,  thou  sinful  ones,  into  the  lake  of  fire  and 
brimstone  that  burneth  with  an  unquenchable  flame  !y 
And  there  shall  be  weeping  and  wailing  and  gnashing 
of  teeth.  They  shall  cry  aloud  for  the  rocks  and  hills 
to  fall  on  them  and  cover  them  from  the  wrath  to  come, 
but  nowhere  under  the  face  of  all  the  heavens  shall 
there  be  a  hiding  place  for  them." 

His  deep  and  thunderous  voice  was  flung  back  in 


76  The  Mad  Prophet. 

heavy  echoes  from  the  rocky  steeps,  and  it  seemed  to 
reverberate  amid  the  crags  above.  An  eagle,  wheeling 
across  the  azure  sky,  sent  down  an  answering  scream. 

The  prophet  caught  up  one  of  the  Mormons,  and, 
with  wonderful  strength,  lifted  him  and  dashed  him 
against  others  of  the  party,  sending  them  all  down  in  a 
writhing,  scrambling  heap. 

One  of  the  men  who  had  been  beaten  down  fastened 
his  arms  about  Frank's  legs,  and  Merriwell  was  partly 
thrown.  He  recovered,  and  struck  the  fellow  such  a 
blow  on  the  temple  that  those  clinging  hands  relaxed, 
and  the  man  lay  stretched  on  the  ground. 

Jack  dragged  Frank  to  his  feet,  and  they  fought  on, 
their  blood  leaping  in  their  veins,  their  hats  off,  the 
warm  sunlight  of  a  perfect  summer  day  shining  on 
their  perspiring  faces. 

"Oh,  if  the  rest  of  the  gang  were  here !"  cried  Jack. 
"If  we  had  Browning's  powerful  arms  to  aid  us !" 

"It's  no  use  to  think  of  them,"  panted  Frank. 
"We've  got  to  do  our  righting,  and  we  seem  to  be  doing 
a  fairly  good  job." 

Driven  mad  with  fury,  one  of  the  Mormons  tried 
to  drive  a  knife  into  Jack. 

Frank  caught  the  wrist  of  the  murderous  wretch, 


The  Mad  Prophet.  77 

and  gave  it  a  twist  that  caused  him  to  drop  the  bright 
blade. 

Like  a  flash  Merriwell  caught  up  the  knife.  Then 
it  was  that  the  Mormons  actually  wavered  once  more. 

At  that  moment  a  body  of  men  came  rushing  up 
from  below,  scrambling  over  the  rocks,  and  shouting 
encouragement  to  those  who  were  trying  to  over- 
come the  two  boys  and  the  Mad  Prophet. 

"Reinforcements!"  palpitated  Diamond. 

"Sure!"  came  huskily  from  Merriwell. 

"That  settles  it!" 

"That  settles  us !" 

"But  we  won't  give  up!" 

"Not  as  long  as  we  can  wiggle  a  finger !     Hoe  in !" 

They  made  a  last  desperate  spurt  in  the  fighting,  but 
once  more  Frank  was  seized  about  the  legs  and  dragged 
down. 

The  same  man  had  repeated  the  trick. 

Merriwell  had  the  knife  in  his  hand,  and  he  could 
have  settled  the  fellow  with  a  single  blow. 

"No!"  he  gasped;  "I'll  not  stain  my  hands  with 
blood!  It  would  be  useless." 

The  knife  was  flung  aside,  and  he  grappled  with  the 
man.  Over  they  rolled,  each  trying  to  get  fiis  hands 


78  The  Mad  Prophet. 

on  the  other's  throat.  The  eyes  of  the  man  glared  at 
Frank,  and  Merriwell's  parted  lips  showed  his  set  teeth. 

In  the  mad  struggle  Frank's  head  struck  against  a 
rock,  and  his  senses  swam.  That  gave  his  foe  an  ad- 
vantage, and  he  obtained  the  hold  he  desired. 

Frank  tried  to  breathe,  but  could  not.  He  tried  to 
speak,  but  no  sound  came  from  his  lips.  The  world 
seemed  reeling  about  him  in  a  blood-red  mist,  and 
there  was  a  roaring  in  his  brain.  It  grew  dark. 

"Good-by,  Jack!"  he  tried  to  say.  "We  made  a 
jolly  good  fight  of  it,  but  we're  done  up  at  last." 

Then  he  lay  limp  and  lifeless  on  the  ground. 

When  Frank  went  down  Jack's  back  was  no  longer 
protected,  and  his  foes  swarmed  at  him  there. 

The  Mad  Prophet  seemed  to  realize  the  danger,  and 
he  flung  them  aside  for  a  time. 

But  even  Old  Lonely  was  not  invulnerable,  and  his 
blows  began  to  lose  their  force.  The  men  swarmed 
in  and  separated  the  boy  and  the  old  man. 

Jack  could  see  the  white  head  of  the  strange  man  in 
the  midst  of  the  enemies  who  surrounded  him,  and 
he  heard  the  prophet  cry : 

"Unholy  mockers  of  the  true  God,  what  wouldst 


The  Mad  Prophet.  79 

thou  with  me?  Depart  from  me,  or  beware  of  the 
wrath  to  come!" 

But  the  Mormons  would  not  depart.  They  swarmed 
on  him  thicker  and  thicker,  and  they  beat  and  dragged 
him  down  for  the  third  time.  This  time  they  tool-, 
care  to  make  fast  his  hands  and  feet,  and  Old  Lonely 
was  captured  at  last. 

This  done,  they  turned  their  attention  to  Jack,  and 
he  was  unable  to  resist  the  force  of  numbers.  They 
handled  him  with  such  ease  that  he  was  amazed. 

"Seems  as  if  you  might  have  done  that  before,  if 
you  had  made  a  real  try,"  he  said.  "You  are  a  lot  of 
cowards,  and  that's  what's  the  matter  with  you!" 

When  he  was  secured,  he  looked  around  for  Frank. 
He  saw  him,  and  Merriwell  lay  on  the  ground,  his 
face  dark  and  discolored,  while  his  tongue  seemed  to 
protrude  from  his  lips. 

"Merciful  Heaven!"  groaned  Diamond,  turning 
away  in  horror.  "He  is  dead!  Poor  Merry!" 


CHAPTER  VII. 

IN     THE     DUN  GEO  N. 

The  Mormons  were  triumphant;  the  boys  and  the 
4>ld  hermit  were  overcome  and  captured.  The  leader 
of  the  Mormons  gave  orders  that  the  captives  should 
be  carried  into  the  town  and  disposed  of  as  Elder 
Holdfast  should  design. 

Jack  had  tried  to  creep  to  the  side  of  Frank,  but  he 
Tvas  prevented  from  doing  so.  He  was  lifted  and  car- 
ried away,  still  murmuring: 

"Poor  Merry!" 

The  fury  of  Asaph  Holdfast  knew  no  bounds  when 
lie  found  the  girl  had  not  been  found,  although  the 
Mad  Prophet  and  the  two  bicycle  boys  had  been  made 
captives. 

"To  the  ruined  fort  with  them !"  he  cried.  "Fling 
them  into  the  dungeon,  and  there  let  them  remain  till 
the  Black  Tribunal  shall  decide  on  their  fate." 

They  were  carried  onward  again,  and  soon  they  saw 
before  them  a  structure  of  stone,  situated  near  the 
western  entrance  to  the  valley.  Looking  at  this  struc- 


In  the  Dungeon.  81 

ture,  Jack  Diamond  was  filled  with  wonder,  for  plainly 
it  was  an  old  fortification,  and  it  showed  much  skill  in 
the  construction,  the  walls  being  high  and  solid,  capped 
with  turrets  and  towers.  Formidable  indeed  was  the 
appearance  of  the  old  fort,  and  Jack  wondered  what 
hands  had  constructed  such  a  marvelous  piece  of  work 
in  that  remote  and  lonely  valley. 

He  was  not  given  much  time  to  inspect  it.  Into  the 
fort  they  were  hurried,  by  way  of  a  great  gate,  and 
soon  the  walls  of  stone  were  around  them. 

But  they  were  not  to  be  left  there,  with  the  open  air 
of  heaven  to  breathe.  Across  the  open  space  they  were 
taken,  and  a  black  opening  loomed  up  before  them  in 
the  wall.  Through  the  opening  the  Mormon  captors 
bore  their  prisoners. 

A  dark  passage  was  entered,  and  there  the  Mormons 
paused  to  light  a  wretched  old  lamp,  which  shed  a  very 
dim  light.  That  light  was  enough  to  show  them 
where  to  take  their  captives,  which  was  all  they  desired. 

At  the  end  of  the  passage  they  came  to  a  stone  door. 
There  was  a  clanking  of  chains  and  a  clang  of  heavy 
iron  bars,  and  then  the  door  was  opened. 

Beyond  that  door  lay  a  black  space  that  was  awe- 
some enough  to  cause  the  stoutest  heart  to  quake. 


82  In  the  Dungeon. 

"In  with  them!"  harshly  commanded  the  leader. 

The  captives  were  thrust  into  the  hole,  and  the  door 
closed  behind  them  with  a  sullen  shock. 

It  was  very  dark  in  there,  and  the  air  seemed  heavy. 
Surely  it  was  a  place  to  strike  terror  to  the  stoutest 
heart. 

Jack's  hands  had  been  set  free  at  the  very  moment 
when  they  flung  him  into  the  dungeon,  and  he  lost  lit- 
tle time  in  removing  the  rope  from  his  feet. 

"This  is  better  than  being  trussed  up,  anyway/'  he 
muttered. 

Then  he  spoke  to  the  old  hermit,  but  received  no  re- 
ply. He  spoke  again  and  again,  but  the  man  remained 
silent,  although  Diamond  could  hear  him  breathing 
nearby. 

"I  wonder  where  Merry  is?     Poor  Merry!" 

The  young  Virginian   sought  his   friend,   and  his 
hands  soon  touched  Frank  Merriwell's  body.     Frank 
was  huddled  in  a  little  heap,  still  lying  quite  motion 
less,  as  if  dead. 

Eagerly  Jack  felt  for  the  pulse  of  his  friend  whom 
he  loved — felt  for  his  heart,  and  listened  with  his  ear 
close  to  Frank's  breast. 

A  great  cry  of  joy  escaped  his  lips. 


In  the  Dungeon.  83 

"He  lives !     He  is  not  dead  yet !" 

With  nervous  haste  he  tore  the  cords  from  Frank's 
wrists  and  feet,  released  Frank's  clothes  about  the 
neck,  and  began  to  work  to  restore  him  to  conscious- 
ness. 

Then  it  was  that  Jack  prayed.  He  asked  God  to 
spare  the  life  of  the  friend  he  loved  and  admired,  not 
minding  or  caring  that  the  old  hermit  was  near  to  hear 
his  words. 

After  a  time  a  groan  and  a  sigh  came  from  Merri- 
well's  lips,  and  then  he  began  to  breathe  hoarsely,  as  if 
his  throat  pained  him. 

"He  is  coming  around  all  right — he  still  lives!" 
shouted  Diamond,  and  the  sound  of  his  voice  smote  on 
his  ears  painfully. 

Ten  minutes  passed,  and  Frank  began  to  understand 
that  Jack  was  near — was  speaking  to  him.  After  that 
Merry  recovered  rapidly. 

"What  makes — it — so — dark — Jack?"  he  slowly 
and  painfully  asked.  "Is — it — night?" 

"No,  not  night,  Frank,  old  fellow.  We  are  shut 
up  in  a  dark  hole." 

"Shut  up?" 

"Yes.     You  know  we  had  a  fight." 


84  In  the  Dungeon. 

"I  know  something  happened,  for  every  breath  I 
draw  seems  to  burn  my  throat,  and  my  head  is  filled 
with  a  dull  pain." 

"You  remember — we  fought  the  Mormons — we 
went  to  the  aid  of  the  old  hermit,  who  was  fighting 
them  all  alone." 

"I  remember  now.  Well,  we  did  the  best  we  could. 
I  told  you  it  was  bound  to  be  a  warm  day." 

"All  our  fighting  did  no  good." 

"Oh,  I  don't  know!  I  remember  getting  in  a  few 
licks  that  must  have  damaged  somebody's  coco.  It 
was  rather  lively  while  it  lasted." 

"And  it  landed  us  here." 

"We'd  have  landed  here,  anyway,  and  I  didn't  pro- 
pose to  give  up  without  a  fight.  The  sight  of  the  old 
man,  with  his  white  head,  fighting  all  that  howling 
gang  was  more  than  I  could  endure.  I  was  bound  to 
go  to  his  aid." 

"Well,  I  think  we  are  pretty  near  the  end  of  our 
rope.  The  Mormons  have  us  fast  and  safe,  and  our 
goose  is  cooked." 

"Where  is  the  old  man?" 

"He  is  somewhere  here  with  us." 

"A  prisoner,  too?" 


In  the  Dungeon.  85 

"Yes." 

"I'm  sorry  for  him.  He  deserves  a  better  fate.  I 
wish  I  had  a  drink  of  water.  I  believe  it  would  cool 
my  throat  It  burns  so!" 

"There  is  no  water  here,  Frank." 

"Well,  we'll  have  to  get  along  without  it  Where's 
the  old  man  ?  I  want  to  talk  with  him." 

"If  you  succeed,  you  will  do  better  than  I  could.  I 
tried  to  talk  with  him,  and  he  would  not  speak  to  me 
at  all." 

They  crept  over  till  they  found  Old  Lonely  lying  on 
the  ground,  bound  hands  and  feet.  Then  they  both  set 
to  work  to  release  him,  which  they  soon  accomplished. 

But,  although  Frank  did  his  best,  he  could  not  in- 
duce the  hermit  to  speak.  At  last  Frank  gave  up  the 
task. 

"If  he'd  talk,  we  could  find  out  something  about 
Whitcomb,"  said  Frank. 

"Whitcomb!"  shouted  Diamond,  savagely.  "Don't 
talk  to  me  of  that  fellow!  I  never  want  to  hear  his 
name  again !" 

Merriwell  was  surprised. 

"What  is  the  matter?    What  has  struck  you  now?" 

"Whitcomb  has  deserted  us!     We  came  here  and 


86  In  the  Dungeon. 

risked  our  lives  for  him,  but,  the  moment  he  got  the 
girl,  he  skipped  out  and  left  us  to  our  fate!" 

"For  which  I  do  not  blame  him." 

"You  don't?" 

"No." 

"Then  something  must  be  the  matter  with  your 
head !  It  was  a  cowardly  thing  to  do  1" 

"It  was  all  right." 

"How  do  you  make  that  out?" 

"It  was  his  place  to  make  sure  first  that  Lona  Ayer 
was  safe  from  the  clutches  of  the  Mormons,  and  it 
was  our  place  to  bother  pursuers  till  he  could  get 
away.  We  did  the  bothering." 

"And  he  did  the  getting  away !" 

"But,  having  placed  the  girl  in  a  position  of  safety, 
I  believe  Whitcomb  will  return  and  see  what  he  can 
do  for  us." 

"By  that  time  it  will  be  too  late  to  do  anything  but 
plant  us." 

"Oh,  I  don't  know !  I  have  been  in  tight  boxes  be- 
fore this.  Remember  the  old  saying  about  the  slip  be- 
tween the  cup  and  lip." 

"I  have  very  little  hope  in  slips  in  cases  like  this." 

"Well,  we  won't  give  up  until  we  have  to.     My 


In  the  Dungeon.  87 

throat  feels  some  better,  and  my  head  does  not  ache  so 
badly.  We'll  examine  this  place,  and  see  how  tightly 
we  are  cooped  up." 

As  well  as  they  could,  they  made  an  examination  of 
the  walls,  feeling  all  around  the  place  with  their  hands. 
From  this  they  received  no  satisfaction  at  all." 

"She  seems  solid,"  confessed  Frank. 

"She  is,"  declared  Jack. 

"We'll  have  to  wait  till  somebody  comes,  and  then, 
perhaps,  we'll  be  able  to  find  out  how  long  they  mean 
to  keep  us  in  here." 

"We  are  to  be  kept  here  till  we  are  removed  to  be 
tried  before  the  Black  Tribunal.  I  heard  old  Holdfast 
say  so." 

"Then  it's  no  use  to  flutter.  We  may  as  well  take 
it  easy,  and  wait  for  the  Black  Tribunal  to  get  in  their 
work." 

"I  never  saw  a  fellow  like  you!"  shouted  Jack. 
"You  are  inclined  to  be  altogether  too  cool  about  things 
of  this  sort!" 

Then  he  flung  himself  down  on  the  ground,  and 
they  waited. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   BLACK   TRIBUNAL. 

At  last,  after  many  hours,  during  which  they  were 
kept  in  the  dungeon  without  food  or  drink,  they  heard 
some  one  at  the  door.  The  chains  rattled  and  the  iron 
bars  clanked  as  the  heavy  door  swung  open,  and  a 
gleam  of  light  shone  into  the  dungeon. 

Back  of  that  light  were  men  whose  faces  were  hidden 
by  masks,  and  who  carried  deadly  weapons  in  their 
hands. 

"They  have  come  to  finish  us!"  exclaimed  Jack,  as 
the  weapons  were  pointed  at  the  three  captives. 

"Come  forth!"  commanded  one  of  the  masks, 
sternly. 

"Thanks  awfully,"  said  Frank  Merriwell.  "We 
don't  care  if  we  do." 

He  coolly  walked  out,  stooping  to  keep  from  striking 
his  head,  as  he  passed  through  the  low  door. 

He  was  seized  in  a  moment,  and  his  hands  were 
again  bound  behind  his  back. 


The  Black  Tribunal.  89 

Then  Jack  was  ordered  to  come  out,  and  he  did  so, 
being  served  the  same  as  Frank. 

To  the  surprise  of  all,  Old  Lonely  made  no  resist- 
ance, but  came  out  when  ordered  to  do  so,  and  per- 
mitted them  to  bind  his  hands. 

Then  they  were  marched  along  the  dark  passage, 
where  the  light  flared  fitfully  and  the  air  was  dense  and 
foul. 

"We  are  going  to  our  doom!"  whispered  Jack  in 
Frank's  ear. 

"Well,  doom  or  dinner — I  feel  like  going  to  one  or 
the  other,"  returned  Merriwell.  "If  they  are  thinking 
of  finishing  us,  I  hope  they  will  give  us  a  square  meal 
before  they  do  the  job." 

"This  is  no  time  to  jest" 

"That's  jest  right,  Jack ;  but  this  hunger  of  mine  is 
no  jest.  I  have  a  healthy  and  growing  appetite." 

"Silence!"  commanded  one  of  the  masked  guards. 

"All  right,  your  royal  muchness,"  said  Frank,  re- 
signedly. "We'll  be  as  still  as  clams." 

They  passed  across  the  open  space  within  the  walls, 
and  entered  another  passage,  which  was  dark  as  the 
first.  Proceeding  along  this  passage,  they  came  to  a 


90  The  Black  Tribunal. 

square  chamber,  which  was  lighted  by  flaring,  smoking 
torches. 

In  a  semi-circle  at  one  side  of  the  chamber  sat 
twelve  cloaked  and  cowled  figures,  their  garments  of 
somber  black.  They  sat  there,  motionless  as  statues, 
and,  in  truth,  at  first  glance,  the  boys  fancied  they 
were  images. 

Slightly  in  advance,  behind  a  block  of  stone,  on 
which  was  an  open  book,  sat  another  black-robed  fig- 
ure. This  one,  however,  did  not  wear  a  cowl,  but  his 
head  was  hidden  by  a  mask  made  to  resemble  the 
head  of  a  black  bear. 

"Prisoners,"  said  one  of  the  guards,  "you  are  stand- 
ing before  the  Black  Tribunal  and  the  great  judge  of 
the  Lost  Tribe  of  Israel.  Here  in  this  chamber  you 
shall  be  tried,  and  sentence  shall  be  pronounced  upon 
you." 

Then  the  three  were  placed  in  a  row  before  the 
black-robed  figures,  and  the  guards  fell  back  a  few 
steps. 

The  figure  that  wore  the  bear's  head  arose. 

"Ye  shall  be  judged  according  to  your  deeds,  un- 
godly ones,"  he  said,  in  a  deep  and  solemn  voice. 


The  Black  Tribunal.  91 

"Speak  truly  and  with  reverence  when  questioned, 
for  much  dependeth  on  thy  words  and  manner." 

"It  is  even  so,"  came  in  unison  from  the  semi-circle 
of  dark  forms. 

Then  the  great  judge  read  a  passage  from  the  book 
before  him,  which  was  the  Mormon  Bible.  When 
this  was  finished,  he  addressed  himself  to  the  hermit 

"Man  of  the  white  hair  and  beard,"  he  said,  "grave 
and  terrible  is  the  charge  against  thee.  Thou  hast  been 
permitted  to  enter  and  leave  the  Valley  of  Bethsada 
at  thy  will,  and  no  one  has  lifted  a  hand  to  do  thee 
harm.  We  felt  that  thou  wert  our  friend,  and  we  were 
yours.  But  now  it  seemeth  thou  hast  conspired  against 
us.  It  is  charged  that  thou  hast  aided  Gentiles  and 
enemies  of  the  Mormon  faith  to  enter  the  valley. 
Speak  man;  is  the  charge  true?" 

The  Mad  Prophet  drew  himself  up  to  his  full  height, 
and  his  eyes  steadily  regarded  the  judge,  but  his  lips 
parted  to  utter  no  sound. 

"Speak!"  again  commanded  the  judge. 

Still  the  hermit  was  silent. 

"Hast  thou  no  defense?" 

Silence. 

"Thus  thou  condemneth  thyself!"  said  the  judge. 


92  The  Black  Tribunal. 

"If  you  have  no  words  of  defense,  the  Tribunal  shall 
pronounce  thy  fate,  for  it  is  useless  to  question  thee 
further." 

There  was  scorn  and  defiance  written  on  the  face  of 
the  old  man,  and  it  was  plain  that  nothing  could  force 
him  to  unseal  his  lips  in  his  own  defense. 

"Brothers  of  the  Tribunal,"  said  the  great  judge. 
"You  see  he  hath  no  defense  to  make.  What  shall  be 
his  fate?" 

"The  pit  of  fire,"  came  in  chorus  from  beneath  the 
cowls. 

"The  pit  of  fire  it  shall  be,"  declared  the  judge. 
"He  shall  be  utterly  destroyed  from  the  face  of  the 
earth — wiped  out  root  and  branch.  Take  him  away." 

He  waved  his  arm,  and  the  guards  grasped  Old 
Lonely,  who  did  not  resist  as  they  conducted  him  from 
the  chamber. 

It  came  Frank's  turn  next. 

"It's  no  use!"  whispered  Diamond,  despairingly. 
"They  mean  to  kill  us  anyway,  and  we  may  as  well  keep 
still." 

Frank  was  singled  out,  and  the  great  judge  said: 

"Art  thou  a  Gentile?" 


The  Black  Tribunal.  93 

"I  presume  that  is  what  you  would  call  me,  as  I 
am  not  a  Mormon,"  answered  Merriwell,  quietly. 

"How  comes  it  thou  wert  in  the  Valley  of  Beth- 
sada?" 

"My  bicycle  brought  me  here." 

"But  there  was  a  reason  why  thou  earnest  here. 
Speak  the  truth." 

"My  dear  sir,  I  would  not  be  impolite  enough  to 
contradict  you  even  if  you  were  mistaken  in  anything 
you  may  assert." 

The  judge  made  a  gesture  of  displeasure. 

"Thy  tongue  is  smooth,  but  thy  manner  is  insolent," 
he  said.  "Why  didst  thou  come  to  this  valley?" 

"Well,  sir,  my  reason  for  coming  was  to  do  my  best 
to  save  an  innocent  girl  from  being  forced  to  become 
the  plural  wife  of  a  gray-headed  old  wretch  who  should 
be  preparing  for  his  departure  from  this  world,  instead 
of  accumulating  more  wives.  There  you  have  it 
straight  from  the  shoulder,  and  I  hope  it  satisfies 
you." 

"Brothers,"  said  the  judge,  "hast  thou  heard  ?" 

"We  have  heard,"  came  back,  solemnly. 

"Gentile,"  said  the  judge,  "didst  thou  know  this  val- 
ley was  forbidden  to  all  not  of  the  Mormon  faith?" 


94  The  Black  Tribunal. 

"I  had  heard  so." 

"And  still  thou  didst  not  hesitate  to  enter  here," 
came  sternly  from  the  hidden  lips  of  the  judge, 
"Thou  hast  heard,  brothers.  What  shall  be  his  fate?" 

"The  pit  of  fire!" 

Jack  Diamond  uttered  a  cry  of  horror,  while  it 
seemed  that  Frank  remained  unmoved. 

The  judge  waved  his  hand,  and  Merriwell  was 
seized  and  taken  away. 

Then  it  was  that  Jack  became  desperate  and  furious. 

"Take  me  with  him,  you  murderous  ruffians!"  he 
cried,  in  his  clear,  strong  voice.  "I  am  as  guilty  as 
he!  You  may  kill  us  both,  but  you'll  not  always  es- 
cape the  punishment  you  merit!  You  are  a  lot  of 
bloodthirsty  hounds!  I  do  not  believe  you  are  true 
Mormons  at  all !  I  do  not  believe  the  Mormon  church 
would  recognize  you,  if  it  knew  the  truth  about  you! 
You  are  outcasts  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  and " 

"Brothers,"  came  the  loud,  yet  somewhat  muffled 
voice  of  the  great  judge,  "you  have  heard  enough. 
Pronounce  his  fate." 

"The  pit  of  fire!"  came  for  the  third  time  from  the 
Black  Tribunal. 

"What  a  farce !"  shouted  Diamond.     "We  were  con- 


The  Black  Tribunal.  95 

demned  in  advance,  and  this  pretended  trial  is  a  mock- 
ery !     Miserable  men !  how  you  will  shudder  and  quake 
when  you  stand  before  the  last  Great  Tribunal  in  that 
day  when  all  men  shall  be  judged !" 
Then  he,  too,  was  borne  away. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE     PIT     OF     FIRE. 

One  by  one  the  three  captives  were  cast  into  a  nar- 
row space  where  the  walls  on  either  hand  were  more 
than  twenty-five  feet  in  height.  At  the  top  this  space 
was  open  to  the  sky,  but  it  was  night,  and  a  crescent 
moon  hung  low,  so  its  light  did  not  sift  down  into  that 
grim  pit. 

"Well,  here  we  are,"  said  Merriwell,  as  Diamond 
was  thrust  in.  "This  is  the  pit  all  right,  all  right ;  but 
I  fail  to  see  the  fire." 

"It  cannot  be  this  is  the  place  to  which  we  were  con- 
demned!" cried  Jack.  "There  is  no  fire  here." 

In  the  center  of  the  pit,  standing  motionless,  his 
arms  folded  over  his  broad  breast,  was  the  Mad 
Prophet,  who  still  remained  silent. 

"There  is  no  fire  here,"  admitted  Frank;  "but  it  is 
possible  they  mean  to  make  a  little  fire  for  us  some 
way.  I  do  not  think  they  have  brought  us  here  for 
nothing." 

"These  men  are  not  Mormons!"  declared  Diamond. 


The  Pit  of  Fire.  97 

"At  their  worst,  Mormons  never  destroyed  their  ene- 
mies in  such  a  manner.  They  may  claim  to  be  Mor- 
mons, but  I  know  the  Mormon  church  to-day  would 
not  acknowledge  them  as  such." 

"It  makes  little  difference  to  us  what  they  are,  they 
have  us  foul,  and  they  mean  to  snuff  us  out  Look 
there!" 

On  the  top  of  the  wall  appeared  a  human  figure, 
bearing  a  torch.  It  was  one  of  the  dark-robed  thirteen 
known  as  the  Black  Tribunal. 

Others  followed,  each  bearing  a  torch,  till  the  thir- 
teen were  assembled  on  the  wall  of  the  pit. 

It  was  a  strange  and  fantastic  spectacle  as  revealed 
by  the  flaring  light  of  the  torches.  High  above  were 
the  mysterious  and  awesome  ones  in  cloaks  and  cowls, 
looking  down  upon  the  three  helpless  captives  con- 
fined within  the  narrow  limits  of  the  walled  inclosure. 
The  faces  of  the  captives  were  upturned,  and  they 
looked  white  and  despairing,  with  wildly  gleaming 
eyes. 

Still  stood  the  old  hermit,  his  white  head  bare,  his 
arms  folded  over  the  beard  that  flowed  down  across 
his  breast.  There  was  dignity  and  disdain  in  his  at- 


98  The  Pit  of  Fire. 

titude,  and  it  seemed  that  he  was  supported  by  an- 
other and  higher  power  than  his  own. 

Was  it  possible  that  out  of  the  thirteen  human  beings 
on  the  wall  not  one  looked  down  in  pity  at  those  help- 
less captives  whom  they  had  doomed? 

"The  time  hath  come!"  said  the  voice  of  the  great 
judge.  "Thus  let  all  Gentiles  perish  from  the  face 
of  the  earth!" 

"Now  comes  the  fire!"  muttered  Frank. 

"Whew!"  exclaimed  Jack.  "It  is  something  be- 
sides fire!  What  a  frightful  odor!  Are  we  to  be 
smothered?" 

"It  is  escaping  gas !"  cried  Merriwell.  "It  must  be 
this  place  is  connected  with  a  natural  gas  well,  and 
the  gas  has  been  turned  in  here!  I  see  through  their 
trick  now!" 

Then  the  old,  white-haired  hermit  was  seen  to  move. 
He  unfolded  his  arms,  and  stretched  them  toward 
heaven,  his  face  upturned  and  his  lips  moving. 

"He  is  praying!"  whispered  Merriwell,  awed  by  the 
spectacle. 

From  the  figures  on  the  wall  mocking  laughter 
came  down. 

"Laugh,  O  wicked  ones!"  thundered  the  powerful 


The  Pit  of  Fire.  99 

voice  of  the  Mad  Prophet.  "The  Lord  of  Hosts  is 
my  Lord  and  my  God!  His  sheltering  hand  is  over 
me!  As  He  protected  the  three  Hebrew  children  in 
the  fiery  furnace  thus  he  will  protect  us !" 

"Let's  see  how  well  you  will  be  protected !"  sneered 
a  voice  from  the  wall. 

Then  a  torch  came  whirling  down  into  the  pit. 

In  a  moment  there  was  a  burst  of  fire  from  twenty 
different  places  where  the  gas  was  pouring  into  the  pit 
The  heat  was  scorching  and  awful,  and  it  drove  the 
boys  to  the  very  center  of  the  inclosure. 

"It  has  come,  Frank!"  gasped  Jack.  "We  can't 
stand  this  more  than  a  minute !  It  will  soon  cook  us !" 

The  jets  of  fire  grew  fiercer  and  fiercer,  telling  that 
the  gas  was  being  given  a  greater  head. 

Once  more  the  Mad  Prophet  uplifted  his  arms  and 
cried  aloud : 

"Give  me  strength,  Lord,  as  thou  gavest  Samson 
strength  to  pull  the  temple  down  and  destroy  his  ene- 
mies in  the  ruins !" 

With  that  prayer  on  his  lips,  he  rushed  to  the  wall 
between  the  jets  of  fire,  and  there  before  him  was  what 
had  once  been  a  door,  but  was  sealed  up  in  a  crude 


ioo  The  Pit  of  Fire. 

manner  with  rough  stones.  Against  these  stones  he 
placed  his  shoulder. 

Once  more  those  above  laughed  mockingly. 

"Push!"  they  cried.     "It  is  thy  only  hope!" 

He  did  push.  He  set  his  shoulder  firmly,  and  gave 
a  mighty  heave. 

And  then — wonders  of  wonders !  The  sealed  door- 
way gave  before  him !  From  the  top  of  the  wall  came 
loud  cries  of  amazement.  Another  mighty  surge,  and 
the  sealed  portion  burst  outward,  making  a  large  open- 
ing in  the  wall. 

A  miracle  it  seemed,  but,  in  truth,  the  sealed  por- 
tion of  the  wall  was  weak  and  it  had  not  required  an 
enormous  outlay  of  strength  to  burst  it  open. 

Falling  rocks  rained  down  about  the  Mad  Prophet, 
but  did  not  seem  to  harm  him  as  he  burst  through  and 
disappeared. 

Jack  Diamond  seemed  stupefied  by  what  had  hap- 
pened, but  Frank  was  quick  to  comprehend  that  for- 
tune had  favored  them,  and  there  was  a  chance  to  es- 
cape. 

"Come!"  he  cried,  catching  hold  of  the  Virginian 
and  forcing  him  through  the  opening.  "For  your  life, 
run!" 


The  Pit  of  Fire.  101 

They  fled  from  the  spot,  but  had  not  gone  far  when 
they  heard  a  voice  calling  to  them : 

"Thither — thither  if  thou  wouldst  escape!  There 
is  but  one  way  for  us  to  get  out  of  the  valley,  and  I 
know  that." 

"It  is  the  Mad  Prophet!"  exclaimed  Frank.  "We 
must  follow  him!" 

"That's  right,"  said  Jack,  recovering  his  speech  at 
last.  "I  am  ready  to  follow  him  after  what  he  has 
done  to-night." 

The  tall  figure  of  the  strange  man  loomed  before 
them,  and  they  allowed  him  to  guide  them  through  the 

town  and  to  the  rocky  steeps  beyond,  as  they  ran  hear- 
\ 

ing  faint  cries  of  pursuers  far  behind  them.  Up  the 
rocks  he  climbed,  and  they  labored  along  behind  him 
till  they  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  hidden  cave. 

And  there  at  the  mouth  of  that  cave  Tom  Whit- 
comb  was  waiting.  He  was  rejoiced  to  see  them,  and 
he  said: 

"I  was  on  the  point  of  descending  into  the  valley  to 
see  if  I  could  not  find  you,  although  Old  Lonely  had 
promised  that  he  would  shield  you  from  harm." 

Whitcomb  was  astounded  when  he  learned  what 


102  The  Pit  of  Fire. 

they  had  passed  through,  and  he  looked  on  the  strange 
hermit  with  added  awe. 

"He  is  a  wonderful  man,"  he  whispered  in  Frank's 
ear.  "He  told  me  a  bit  of  his  story.  He  hates  all 
Mormons  with  an  undying  hatred,  for  they  murdered 
his  brother  and  tried  to  kill  him.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  he  is  crazy.  He  says  he  is  remaining  here  till 
the  time  when  God  shall  give  him  power  to  destroy  all 
the  guilty  ones  in  the  valley  at  a  single  stroke  and  spare 
the  innocent.  He  also  says  that  he  could  have  de- 
stroyed them  all  long  ago,  but  refrained,  as  the  inno- 
cent would  have  perished  with  the  guilty.  I  am  in- 
clined to  think  he  raves  when  he  makes  such  talk,  as  he 
fancies  himself  endowed  with  supernatural  powers." 

"Surely  the  manner  in  which  he  toppled  down  the 
walls  of  the  pit  of  fire  seemed  supernatural,"  said 
Frank. 

Jack  was  restless. 

"Where  is  Miss  Ayer?"  he  asked.     "Is  she  safe?" 

"She  is  safe,"  assured  Whitcomb.  "And  your  bi- 
cycles are  safe,  also,  for  I  found  them  down  amid  the 
rocks  a  short  time  ago— ^stumbled  on  them  by  acci- 
dent." 

"Where  are  they?" 


The  Pit  of  Fire.  103 

"I  brought  them  up  here,  and  they  are  in  the  cave." 

"Well,  say!"  cried  Frank;  "I  want  a  chance  to  sit 

down  and  rest!     This  turn  of  affairs  has  completely 

taken  away  my  breath!     It  is  wonderful,  and  I  can 

scarcely  realize  it." 

"Young  men,"  said  the  solemn  voice  of  Old  Lonely, 
"you  must  confess  that  the  sheltering  hand  of  the  Most 
High  hath  been  over  us.  Thank  not  man  for  thy  de- 
liverance, but  thank  God." 

They  left  the  forbidden  valley  by  the  road  that  was 
known  so  well  to  Old  Lonely,  who  befriended  and 
aided  Tom  Whitcomb  on  hearing  the  young  man's 
story. 

When  they  were  outside,  the  hermit  bade  them  fare- 
well. 

"Go!"  he  said,  warningly — "go,  and  do  not  stop  till 
far  from  this  accursed  spot.  Never  return  here.  Do 
not  tell  the  tale  to  any  one,  for  it  will  not  be  believed." 

"That's  right,"  nodded  Frank. 

"Marry  the  girl  as  soon  as  possible,  and  guard  her 
as  a  precious  jewel,"  said  the  Mad  Prophet  to  Tpm 
Whitcomb.  "Better  take  her  out  of  Utah.  Her 
father  will  come  to  thee  in  time,  and  he  will  rejoice  that 


IO4  The  Pit  of  Fire. 

his  daughter  was  spared  from  the  clutches  of  the  old 
elder." 

Then  he  addressed  the  girl. 

"Be  a  good  wife  to  him,"  he  said,  "for  he  has  risked 
his  very  life  for  thee.  And  these  other  young  men 
have  risked  no  less." 

"But  I  cannot  marry  them  all !"  cried  Lona,  in  con- 
fusion. 

Was  it  possible  that  the  ghost  of  a  smile  flitted  across 
the  face  of  the  old  man? 

"No,"  he  said ;  "but  you  can  reward  them  with  your 
gratitude  and  your  admiration.  Surely  they  deserve 
that.  And  now  farewell.  We  shall  never  meet  again, 
for  I  go  back  to  watch  and  wait  till  the  time  comes  to 
strike.  Farewell  all." 

It  was  three  days  later  that  Frank  and  Jack  joined 
the  others  of  the  party,  who  had  been  impatiently 
waiting  for  them,  wondering  and  speculating  over 
their  absence. 

"Well,  give  a  report  of  yourself,"  drawled  Brown- 
ing, sternly,  "I  am  actually  getting  tired  of  hanging 
around  and  doing  nothing." 

"That  must  be  a  new  disease  for  you,"  laughed 
Frank. 


The  Pit  of  Fire.  105 

"Mah  goodness!"  cried  Toots,  surveying  Merriwell 
critically.  "I  done  begun  teh  believe  I  nebber  was 
g\van  ter  set  mah  eyes  on  yo'  face  no  mo'.  What  you 
been  doin',  boy?  Hab  yo'  been  gallavantin'  off  arter 
some  ob  dese  pretty  Mormon  gals  ?  Land  ob  wartermil- 
lions!  I's  hit  it  de  fus'  pop!  I  done  seen  de  guilt  in 
yeh  eye,  boy !  Yum,  yum !  But  yo'  is  jes'  nacherally 
a  terror,  yo'  is!" 

"Will  you  steep  kill — I  mean  keep  still!"  cried  Rat- 
tleton.  "I  want  to  hear  what  Frank  and  Jack  have  to 
say  for  themselves." 

"If  we  tell  you  everything,  you  will  think  we  arc 
drawing  the  long  bow,"  said  Frank.  "Eh,  Jack?" 

"That's  so,"  nodded  Jack. 

The  boys  protested  that  they  would  accept  every- 
thing as  literal  truth,  and  so  the  story  was  told  at  last. 
When  it  was  finished,  Harry  asked : 

"Where  are  Whitcomb  and  his  sweetheart  now  ?" 
"They  are  married,  and  on  their  way  East.     They 
are  going  to  get  out  of  Utah." 

"I  don't  blame  them,"  yawned  Browning.  "If  I 
were  Whitcomb,  I  wouldn't  stop  this  side  of  the  Atlan- 
tic Ocean.  And  I  rather  think  we  had  better  be  get- 


106  The  Pit  of  Fire. 

ting  out  of  Utah  before  Frank  and  Jack  have  another 
fit  and  run  off  after  some  other  pretty  Mormon  girl." 
"We'll  get  a  move  on  us  in  the  morning,"  said 
Frank.  "Hurrah  for  the  road  and  the  spinning 
wheel !  We're  still  in  the  ring,  for  all  of  the  knockout 
blows  that  have  been  aimed  at  us." 


CHAPTER  X. 

ADRIFT   IN    THE   DESERT. 

Once  more  the  bicycle  boys  pushed  on  westward, 
and  it  must  be  said  that  in  spite  of  all  their  perils 
they  were  in  the  best  of  spirits. 

The  beautiful  valley  in  Utah  was  left  behind,  and 
some  time  later  found  them  on  the  edge  of  the  great 
American  Desert. 

"A  desolate  place,  indeed,"  said  Bruce  Browning. 

Nevertheless,  he  and  the  others  allowed  Frank  to 
persuade  them  that  they  could  cross  the  desert  on  their 
wheels  instead  of  taking  the  longer  route  around  to 
the  northward. 

But  it  was  not  long  before  matters  began  to  grow 
serious. 

Water  was  not  to  be  had,  and  they  began  to  suffer 
greatly  from  thirst. 

The  thirst  at  last  became  so  great  that  nearly  all 
were  ready  to  drop  from  exhaustion. 

Toots  was  much  affected,  and  presently  he  let  out 
a  long  wail  of  discouragement. 


io8  Adrift  in  the  Desert. 

"Land  of  watermillions !  mah  froat  am  done  parched 
so  I  ain't  gwan  teh  be  able  teh  whisper  if  we  don'  find 
some  warter  po'erful  soon,  chilluns!  Nebber  struck 
nuffin'  lek  dis  in  all  mah  bawn  days — no,  sar!" 

"You're  not  the  only  one,"  groaned  Bruce.  "What 
wouldn't  I  give  for  one  little  swallow  of  water!" 

"We  must  strike  water  soon,  or  we  are  done  for," 
put  in  Jack. 

Toots  began  to  sway  in  his  saddle,  and  Frank  spurted 
to  his  side,  grasping  him  by  the  arm,  as  he  sharply 
said: 

"Brace  up!  You  mustn't  give  out  now.  The 
mountains  are  right  ahead,  and " 

"Lawd  save  us !"  hoarsely  gasped  the  darky.  "Dem 
dar  mount'ns  had  been  jes'  as  nigh  fo'  de  las'  two 
houah,  Marser  Frank.  We  don'  git  a  bit  nearer  'em 
— no,  sar!  Dem  mount'ns  am  a  recepshun  an'  a  de- 
lusum.  We  ain't  nebber  gwan  teh  git  out  ob  dis  desert 
— nebber!  Heah's  where  we's  gwan  teh  lay  ouah 
bones,  Marser  Frank!" 

"You  are  to  blame  for  this,  Merriwell,"  came  re- 
proachfully from  Diamond.  "You  were  the  one  to 
suggest  that  we  should  attempt  to  cross  instead  of 
going  around  to  the  north,  and " 


Adrift  in  the  Desert  109 

"Say,  Diamond!"  cried  Harry;  "riv  us  a  guest — I 
mean  give  us  a  rest !  You  were  as  eager  as  any  of  us 
to  try  to  cross  the  desert,  for  you  thought  we'd  have  it 
to  boast  about  when  we  returned  to  Yale." 

"But  we'll  never  return." 

"Perhaps  not;  still  I  don't  like  to  hear  you  piling  all 
the  blame  onto  Merry." 

"He  suggested  it." 

"And  you  seconded  the  suggestion.  We  started 
out  with  a  supply  of  water  that  we  thought  would 
last " 

"We  should  have  known  better !" 

"Perhaps  so,  but  that  is  the  fault  of  all  of  us,  not 
any  one  person.  You  are  getting  to  be  a  regular 
kicker  of  late." 

Jack  shot  Harry  a  savage  look. 

"Be  careful !"  he  said.  "I  don't  feel  like  standing 
too  much !  I  am  rather  ugly  just  now." 

"That's  right,  and  you  have  been  the  only  one  who 
has  shown  anything  like  ugliness  at  any  time  during 
the  trip.  You  seem  to  want  to  put  the  blame  of  any 
mistake  onto  Merry,  while  it  is  all  of  us " 

"Say,  drop  it!"  commanded  Frank,  sharply.  "This 
is  no  time  to  quarrel.  Those  mountain  are  close  at 


no  Adrift  in  the  Desert. 

hand,  I  am  sure,  and  a  last  grim  pull  will  take  us  to 
them.     We  will  find  water  there,  for  you  know  we 
were  told  about  the  water  holes  in  the  Desert  Range." 
"Those  water  holes  will  not  be  easy  to  find." 

"I  have  full  directions  for  finding  them.  After  we 
get  a  square  drink,  we'll  feel  better,  and  there'll  be  no 
inclination  to  quarrel." 

"Oh,  water!  water!"  murmured  Browning;  "how 
I'd  like  to  let  about  a  quart  gurgle  down  past  my 
Adam's  apple!" 

"Urn,  um!"  muttered  Rattleton,  lifting  one  hand  to 
his  throat.  "Why  do  you  suppose  a  fellow's  larynx 
is  called  his  Adam's  apple?" 

"Nothing  could  be  more  appropriate,"  declared 
Bruce,  soberly,  for  when  Adam  ate  the  apple  he  got  it 
in  the  neck." 

Something  like  a  cackling  laugh  came  from  Harry's 
parched  lips. 

Diamond  gave  an  exclamation  of  disgust. 

"This  is  a  nice  time  to  joke!"  he  grated,  fiercely. 

"The  matter  with  you,"  said  Rattleton,  "is  that 
you've  not  got  over  thinking  of  Lona  Ayer,  whom  you 
were  mashed  on.  You've  been  grouchy  ever  since  you 
and  Merry  came  back  from  your  wild  expedition  into 


Adrift  in  the  Desert.  in 

the  forbidden  Valley  of  Bethsada.  It's  too  bad, 
Jack " 

"Shut  up,  will  you !     I've  heard  enough  about  that !" 

"Drop  it,  Harry,"  commanded  Frank,  warningly. 
"You've  worn  it  out  Forget  it" 

"Great  Scott!"  grunted  Browning.  "I  believe  my 
bicycle  is  heavier  than  the  dealer  represented  it  to  be." 

"Think  so?"  asked  Rattleton. 

"Sure." 

"Then  give  it  a  weigh," 

Browning's  wheel  gave  a  sudden  wobble  that  nearly 
threw  him  off. 

"Don't!"  he  gasped.  "It's  not  original.  You 
swiped  it  from  the  very  same  paper  that  had  my 
Adam's  apple  joke  in  it." 

"Well,  it  was  simply  a  case  of  retaliation." 

"I'd  rather  have  a  case  of  beer.  Oh,  say! — a  case 
of  beer !  I  wouldn't  do  a  thing  to  a  case  of  beer — not 
a  thing!  Oh,  just  to  think  of  sitting  in  the  old  room 
at  Traeger's  or  Morey's  and  drinking  all  the  beer  or 
ale  a  fellow  could  pour  down  his  neck !  It  makes  me 
faint!" 

"You  should  not  permit  yourself  to  think  of  such  a 


112  Adrift  in  the  Desert. 

thing  as  beer,"  said  Frank,  jokingly.  "You  knovr 
beer  will  make  you  fat." 

"Don't  care;  I'd  drink  it  if  it  made  me  so  fat  I 
couldn't  walk.  I'd  train  down,  you  know.  Dumb- 
bells, punchin'  bag,  and  so  forth." 

"Speaking  of  the  punching  bag,"  said  Frank,  "makes 
me  think  of  a  good  thing  on  Reggy  Stevens.  You 
know  Stevens.  He's  near-sighted.  Goes  in  for  ath- 
letics, and  takes  great  delight  in  the  fancy  manner  in 
which  he  can  hammer  the  bag.  Well,  he  went  down 
into  the  country  to  see  his  cousin  last  spring.  Some 
time  during  the  winter  his  cousin  had  found  a  big  hor- 
nets' nest  in  the  woods,  and  had  cut  it  down  and  taken 
it  home.  He  hung  it  up  in  the  garret.  First  day 
Stevens  was  there  he  wandered  up  into  the  garret  and 
saw  the  hornets'  nest  hanging  in  the  dim  light.  'Ho !' 
said  Reggy.  'Didn't  know  cousin  had  a  punching  bag. 
Glad  I  found  it.  I'll  toy  with  it  a  little.'  Then  he 
threw  off  his  coat  and  made  a  rush  at  that  innocent- 
looking  ball.  With  his  first  blow  he  drove  his  fist 
clean  through  the  nest.  'Holy  smoke !'  gasped  Reggy ; 
'what  have  I  struck?'  Then  the  hornets  came  pouring 
out,  for  the  nest  was  not  a  deserted  one.  They  saw 
Reggy — and  went  him  several  better.  Say,  fellows, 


Adrift  in  the  Desert.  113 

they  didn't  do  a  thing  to  poor  Reggy !  About  five  hun- 
dred made  for  him,  and  it  seemed  to  Reggy  that  at 
least  four  hundred  and  ninety-nine  of  them  got  him. 
His  howls  started  shingles  off  the  roof  of  that  old 
house  and  knocked  several  bricks  out  of  the  chimney. 
He  fell  down  the  stairs,  and  went  plunging  through  the 
house,  with  a  string  of  hornets  trailing  after  him,  like 
a  comet's  tail.  The  hornets  did  not  confine  them- 
selves strictly  to  Reggy;  some  of  them  sifted  off  and 
got  in  their  work  on  Reggy's  cousin,  aunt,  uncle,  the 
kitchen  girl,  the  hired  man,  and  one  of  them  made  for 
the  dog.  The  dog  thought  that  hornet  was  a  fly,  and 
snapped  at  it.  One  second  later  that  dog  joined  in  the 
general  riot,  and  the  way  he  swore  and  yelled  fire  in 
dog  language  was  something  frightful  to  hear.  Reggy 
didn't  stop  till  he  got  outside  and  plunged  his  head  into 
the  old-fashioned  watering  trough,  where  he  held  it  un- 
der the  surface  till  he  was  nearly  drowned.  The 
.whole  family  was  a  sight.  And  Reggy — well,  he's 
had  the  swelled  head  ever  since." 

Rattleton  laughed  and  Bruce  managed  to  smile, 
while  Toots  gave  a  cracked  "Yah,  yah !"  but  Diamond 
failed  to  show  that  he  appreciated  the  story  in  the  least. 

However,  it  soon  became  evident  that  the  spirits  of 


ii4  Adrift  in  the  Desert. 

the  lads  had  been  lightened  somewhat,  and  they  pedaled 
onward  straight  for  the  grim  mountains  which  had 
seemed  so  near  for  the  last  two  hours. 

The  sun  poured  its  stifling  heat  down  on  the  great 
desert,  where  nothing  save  an  occasional  clump  of  sage 
brush  could  be  see-n. 

Heat  shimmered  in  the  air,  and  it  was  not  strange 
that  the  young  cyclists  were  disheartened  and  ready  to 
give  up  in  despair. 

Suddenly  a  cry  came  from  Diamond. 

"Look!"  he  shouted.  "Look  to  the  south!  Why 
haven't  we  seen  it  before?  We're  blind.  Water, 
water !" 

They  looked,  and,  at  a  distance  of  less  than  a  mile  it 
seemed  they  could  see  a  beautiful  lake  of  water,  with 
trees  on  the  distant  shore.  The  reflection  of  the  trees 
showed  in  the  mirror-like  surface  of  the  blue  lake. 

"Come  on!"  hoarsely  cried  Jack,  as  he  turned  his 
wheel  southward.  "I'll  be  into  that  water  up  to  my 
neck  in  less  than  ten  minutes!" 

"Stop!"  shouted  Merriwell. 

Jack  did  not  seem  to  hear.  If  he  heard,  he  did  not 
heed  the  command.  He  was  bending  far  over  the 


Adrift  in  the  Desert.  115 

handlebars  and  using  all  his  energy  to  send  his  wheel 
spinning  toward  the  beautiful  lake. 

"I  must  stop  him!"  cried  Frank.  "It  is  a  race  for 
life!" 

Frank  forgot  that  a  short  time  before  Jack  Diamond 
had  accused  him  of  leading  them  all  to  their  doom  by 
inducing  them  to  attempt  to  cross  the  barren  waste- 
he  forgot  everything  save  that  his  comrade  was  in 
danger. 

No,  he  did  not  forget  everything.  He  knew  what 
that  race  meant.  It  might  exhaust  them  both  and 
render  them  unable  to  ride  their  wheels  over  the  few 
remaining  miles  of  barren  desert  between  them  and 
the  mountain  range.  When  Diamond  learned  the 
dreadful,  heart-sickening  truth  about  that  beautiful 
lake  of  water  it  might  rob  his  heart  of  courage  and 
hope  so  that  he  would  drop  in  despair  and  give  himself 
up  to  death  in  the  desert. 

Frank  would  save  him — he  must  save  him!  He 
felt  a  personal  responsibility  for  the  lives  of  every  one 
of  the  party,  and  he  had  resolved  that  all  should  re- 
turn to  New  Haven  in  safety. 

"Stop,  Jack!"  he  shouted  again. 

But  the  sight  of  that  beautiful  lake  had  made  Dia- 


n6  Adrift  in  the  Desert. 

mond  mad  with  a  longing  to  plunge  into  the  water, 
to  splash  in  it,  to  drink  his  fill  till  not  another  swallow 
could  he  force  down  his  throat. 

Madly  he  sent  his  wheel  flying  over  the  sandy  plain, 
panting,  gasping,  furious  to  reach  the  lake. 

How  beautiful  the  water  looked!  How  cool  and 
inviting  was  the  shade  of  the  trees  on  the  other  shore  1 
Oh,  he  would  go  around  there  and  rest  beneath  those 
trees. 

Frank  bent  forward  over  the  handlebars,  muttering: 

"Ride  now  as  you  never  rode  before!" 

The  wheel  seemed  to  leap  away  like  a  thing  of  life — 
it  flew  as  if  it  possessed  wings. 

But  Frank  did  not  gain  as  swiftly  as  he  desired,  for 
Diamond,  also,  was  using  all  his  energy  to  send  his 
bicycle  along. 

"Faster!  faster!"  panted  Frank. 

Faster  and  faster  he  flew  along.  The  hot  breath  of 
the  desert  beat  on  his  face  as  if  it  came  rushing  from 
the  mouth  of  a  furnace.  It  seemed  to  scorch  him. 
Fine  particles  of  sand  whipped  up  and  stung  his  flesh. 

He  heard  a  strange  laugh — a  wild  laugh. 

"Heaven  pity  him!"  thought  Frank,  knowing  that 
laugh  came  from  Jack's  lips.  "The  sight  of  that 


Adrift  in  the  Desert.  117 

ghostly  lake  has  nearly  turned  his  brain  with  joy.  I 
fear  he  will  go  mad,  indeed,  when  he  knows  the  truth," 

On  sped  pursued  and  pursuer,  and  the  latter  waa 
still  gaining.  Frank  Merriwell  had  engaged  in  many 
contests  of  skill  and  endurance,  but  never  in  one  where 
more  was  at  stake.  His  success  in  overtaking  his 
friend  meant  the  saving  of  a  human  life — perhaps  two 
lives. 

Now  he  was  gaining  swiftly,  and  something  like  a 
prayer  of  thankfulness  came  from  his  lips. 

Once  more  he  cried  out  to  the  lad  in  advance,  but  it 
seemed  that  Diamond's  ears  were  dumb,  for  he  made 
no  sound  that  told  he  heard. 

One  last  spurt — Frank  felt  that  it  must  bring  him 
to  Diamond's  side.  He  gathered  himself,  his  feet 
clinging  to  the  flying  pedals  as  if  fastened  there. 

A  slip,  a  fall,  a  miscalculation  might  mean  utter  fail- 
ure, and  failure  might  mean  death  for  Diamond. 

Now  Frank  was  close  behind  his  friend.  He  could 
hear  the  whirring  sound  of  the  spokes  of  Diamond's 
wheel  cutting  the  air,  and  he  could  hear  the  hoarse, 
panting  breathing  of  his  friend. 

A  steady  hand  guided  Merriwell's  wheel  alongside 
that  of  his  friend ;  a  steady  and  a  strong  hand  fell  on 


Ii8  Adrift  in  the  Desert. 

the  shoulder  of  the  lad  who  had  been  crazed  by  the  al- 
luring vision  of  the  lake  in  the  desert. 

"Stop,  Jack!" 

Diamond  turned  toward  his  friend  a  face  from 
which  a  pair  of  glaring  eyes  looked  out.  His  lips 
curled  back  from  his  white  teeth,  and  he  snarled: 

"Hands  off !  Don't  try  to  hold  me  back !  Can't  you 
see  it,  you  fool !  The  lake — the  lake !" 

"There  is  no  lake!" 

"Yes,  there  is!     You  are  blind!     See  it!" 

"Stop,  Jack !     I  tell  you  there  is  no  lake !" 

Frank  tried  to  check  his  friend,  but  Diamond  made 
a  swinging  blow  at  him,  which  Merriwell  managed  to 
stop. 

"Wait — listen  a  moment!"  entreated  Frank. 

But  the  belief  that  a  lake  of  water  lay  a  short  dis- 
tance away  had  completely  driven  anything  like  reason 
from  Diamond's  head. 

"Hands  off!"  he  shouted.  "If  you  try  to  stop  me 
you'll  be  sorry !" 

Frank  saw  he  must  resort  to  desperate  measures. 
He  secured  a  firm  grip  on  the  shoulder  of  the  young 
Virginian,  and,  a  moment  later,  gave  a  surge  that 
caused  them  both  to  fall  from  their  wheels. 


Adrift  in  the  Desert.  119 

Over  and  over  they  rolled,  and  then  lay  in  a  limp 
heap  on  the  desert,  where  the  earth  was  hot  and  baked 
and  the  sun  beat  down  with  a  fierce  parching  heat. 

Diamond  was  the  first  to  stir,  and  he  tried  to  scram- 
ble up,  his  one  thought  being  to  mount  his  wheel 
again  and  ride  onward  toward  the  shimmering  lure. 

Frank  seemed  to  realize  this,  for  he  caught  at  his 
friend,  grasped  him  and  held  him  fast. 

Then  there  was  a  furious  struggle  there  on  the 
desert,  Diamond  making  a  mad  effort  to  break  away, 
but  being  held  by  Frank,  who  would  not  let  him  go. 

The  eyes  of  both  lads  glared  and  their  teeth  were 
set.  Frank  tried  to  force  Diamond  down  and  hold 
him,  but  Jack  had  the  strength  of  an  insane  person, 
and,  time  after  time,  he  flung  his  would-be  bene- 
factor off. 

The  eyes  of  the  young  Virginian  were  red  and 
bloodshot,  while  his  lips  were  cracked  and  bleeding. 
His  cap  was  gone,  and  his  straight  dark  -hair  fell  in  a 
tousled  mass  over  his  forehead. 

Occasionally  muttered  words  came  from  Diamond's 
lips,  but  the  other  was  silent,  seeming  to  realize  that 
he  must  conquer  the  mad  fellow  by  sheer  strength 
alone. 


I2O  Adrift  in  the  Desert. 

So  they  fought  on,  their  efforts  growing  weaker  and 
weaker,  gasping  for  breath.  Seeing  that  fierce  strug- 
gle, no  one  could  have  imagined  they  were  anything 
but  the  most  deadly  enemies,  battling  for  their  very 
lives. 

At  last,  after  some  minutes,  Diamond's  fictitious 
strength  suddenly  gave  out,  and  then  Frank  handled 
and  held  him  with  ease.  Merriwell  pinned  Jack  down 
and  held  him  there,  while  both  remained  motionless, 
gasping  for  breath  and  seeking  to  recover  from  their 
frightful  exertions. 

"You  fool!"  whispered  the  Virginian,  bitterly. 
"What  are  you  trying  to  do?" 

"Trying  to  save  your  life,  but  you  have  given  me  a 
merry  hustle  for  it,"  answered  Frank. 

"Save  my  life!  Bah!  Why  have  you  stopped  me 
when  we  were  so  near  the  lake." 

"There  is  no  lake." 

"Are  you  blind  ?  All  of  us  could  see  the  lake !  It  is 
near — very  near!" 

"I  tell  you,  Jack,  there  is  no  lake." 

"You  lie!" 

"You  have  been  crazed  by  what  you  fancied  was 


Adrift  in  the  Desert.  121 

water.  Some  time  you  will  ask  my  pardon  for  your 
words." 

"You  will  ask  my  pardon  for  stopping  me  in  this 
manner,  Frank  Merriwell!  You  did  it  because  I  was 
the  first  to  discover  the  lake!  You  were  jealous! 
You  did  not  wish  me  to  reach  it  first!  I  know  youl 
You  want  to  be  the  leader  in  everything." 

"If  you  were  not  half  crazy  now,  you  would  not 
utter  such  words,  Jack." 

"Oh,  I  know  you — I  know!" 

Then  Diamond's  tone  and  manner  suddenly 
changed,  and  he  began  to  beg : 

"Please  let  me  up,  Merry — please  do!  Oh,  merci- 
ful Heaven !  I  am  perishing  for  a  swallow  of  water ! 
And  it  is  so  near!  There  is  water  enough  for  ten 
thousand  men!  And  such  beautiful  trees,  where  the 
shadows  are  so  cool — where  this  accursed  sun  can't 
pour  down  on  one's  head!  Please  let  me  up,  Frank! 
I'll  do  anything  for  you  if  you'll  only  let  me  go  to 
that  lake!" 

"Jack,  dear  old  fellow,  I  am  telling  you  the  truth 
when  I  say  there  is  no  lake.  There  could  be  no  lake 
here  in  this  burning  desert.  It  is  an  impossibility. 


122  Adrift  in  the  Desert. 

If  there  were  such  a  lake,  the  ones  I  asked  about  the 
water-holes  would  have  told  me." 

"They  did  not  know.  I  have  seen  it,  and  I  know 
it  is  there." 

Frank  allowed  his  friend  to  sit  up. 

"Look,  Jack/'  he  said;  "where  is  your  lake?" 

Jack  looked  away  to  the  south,  the  east,  the  north, 
and  then  toward  the  west,  where  lay  the  mountains. 

There  was  no  lake  in  sight. 


CHAPTER  XL 

ON   TO   THE   MOUNTAINS. 

"Where — where  has  it  gone?'*  slowly  and  painfully 
asked  Diamond.  I  am  sure  I  saw  it — sure!  The 
lake,  the  trees,  all  gone!" 

"I  told  you  there  was  no  lake." 

"Then — then  it  must  have  been  a  mirage!" 

"That  is  exactly  what  it  was." 

With  a  deep  groan  of  despair  Diamond  fell  back 
limply  on  the  sand,  as  if  the  last  bit  of  strength  and 
hope  had  gone  from  him. 

"This  ends  it!"  he  gasped.  "What's  the  use  of 
struggling  any  more!  We  may  as  well  give  up  right 
here  and  die!" 

"Not  much !"  cried  MerriwelT,  with  attempted  cheer- 
fulness. "That  is  why  I  ran  you  down  and  dragged 
you  from  your  wheel." 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"I  knew  the  mirage  might  lure  you  on  and  on  into 
the  desert,  seeming  to  flee  before  you,  till  at  last  it 
would  vanish  in  a  mocking  manner,  and  you,  utterly 


124  On  to  the  Mountains. 

exhausted  and  spirit-broken,  would  lie  down  and  die 
without  another  effort." 

Jack  was  silent  a  few  moments. 

"And  you  did  all  this  for  me?"  he  finally  asked. 
"You  pursued  and  pulled  me  from  my  wheel  to — to 
save  me?" 

"Yes." 

Another  brief  silence. 

"Frank." 

"Well,  Jack?" 

"I  was  mad." 

"You  looked  it." 

"My  thirst — the  sight  of  what  I  took  to  be  water — 
the  shadows  of  the  trees!  Ah,  yes,  I  was  mad, 
Frank!" 

"Well,  it's  all  over  now." 

"Yes,  it  is  all  over.     The  jig's  up !" 

"Nonsense!  Get  a  brace  on,  old  man.  We  must 
get  to  the  mountains.  It  is  our  only  chance,  Jack." 

"The  mountains!  I  shall  never  reach  the  moun- 
tains, Frank.  I  am  done  for — played  out!" 

"That's  all  rot,  old  fellow !  You  are  no  more  played 
out  than  I  am.  We  are  both  pretty  well  used  up,  but 


On  to  the  Mountains.  125 

we'll  pull  through  to  the  mountains  and  get  a  drink  of 
water." 

"You  never  give  up." 

"Well,  I  try  never  to  give  up." 

"Frank,  I  want  you  to  forgive  me  for  what  I  said 
before  we  saw  the  mirage.  You  know  I  was  making 
a  kick." 

"Oh,  never  mind  that!     It's  all  right,  Jack." 

"I  want  you  to  say  you  forgive  me." 

"That's  dead  easy.  Of  course  I  forgive  you.  Think 
I'm  a  stiff  to  hold  a  grudge  over  a  little  matter  like 
that?" 

Diamond  looked  his  admiration  from  his  bloodshot 
eyes. 

"You're  all  right,  Merry,"  he  hoarsely  declared. 
"You  always  were  all  right.  I  knew  it  all  along. 
Sometimes  I  get  nasty,  for  I  have  a  jealous  nature,  al- 
though I  try  to  hold  it  in  check.  I  never  did  try  to 
hold  myself  in  check  in  any  way  till  I  knew  you  and 
saw  how  you  controlled  your  tastes  and  passions. 
That  was  a  revelation  to  me,  Merry.  You  know  I 
hated  you  at  first,  but  I  came  to  admire  you,  despite 
myself.  I  have  admired  you  ever  since.  Sometimes 


126  On  to  the  Mountains. 

the  worst  side  of  my  nature  will  crop  out,  but  I  always 
know  I  am  wrong.  Forgive  me  for  striking  you." 

"There,  there,  old  chap!  Why  are  you  thinking  of 
such  silly  things?  You  are  talking  as  if  you  had  done 
me  a  deadly  wrong,  and  this  was  your  last  chance  to 
square  yourself." 

"It  is  my  last  chance — I  am  sure  of  that.  I  am 
played  out,  and  I  can't  drive  that  wheel  farther.  It's 
no  use — I  throw  up  the  sponge  right  here." 

A  look  of  determination  came  to  Frank's  face. 

"You  shall  not  do  anything  of  the  kind!"  he  cried. 
"I  won't  have  it,  Jack !" 

Diamond  did  not  reply,  but  lay  limp  on  the  ground. 
Frank  put  a  firm  hand  on  his  shoulder,  saying : 

"Come,  Jack,  make  a  bluff  at  it" 

"No  use!" 

"I  tell  you  it  is!  Come  on.  We  can  reach  the 
mountains  within  an  hour." 

"The  mountains!"  came  huskily  from  Diamond's 
lips.  "God  knows  if  there  are  any  mountains !  They, 
too,  may  be  a  mirage!" 

"No!  no!" 

"Think — think  how  long    we    have    been  riding 


On  to  the  Mountains.  127 

toward  them  and  still  they  seemed  to  remain  as  far 
away  as  they  were  hours  ago." 

"That  is  one  of  the  peculiar  effects  of  the  air  out 
here." 

"I  do  not  believe  any  of  us  will  reach  the  moun- 
tains. And  if  we  should,  we  might  not  find  water. 
Those  mountains  look  baked  and  barren." 

"Remember,  I  was  told  how  to  find  water  there." 

But  this  did  not  give  the  disheartened  boy  courage. 

"I  know  you  were  told,  but  the  man  who  told  you 
said  that  at  times  that  water  failed.  It's  no  use, 
Frank,  the  game  is  not  worth  the  candle" 

Then  it  was  that  Merriwell  began  to  grow  angry. 

"I  am  ashamed  of  you,  Diamond !"  he  harshly  cried. 
"I  did  think  you  were  built  of  better  stuff!  Where  is 
your  backbone!  Come,  man,  you  must  make  another 
try!" 

"Must?"  came  rather  defiantly  from  Jack.  "I'll  not 
be  forced  to  do  it !" 

"Yes,  you  will?' 

The  Virginian  looked  at  Frank  in  astonishment. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  he  asked. 

"I  mean  that  you  will  brace  up  and  attempt  to  reach 
the  mountains  with  the  rest  of  us,  or  I'll  give  you  the 


128  On  to  the  Mountains. 

blamedest  licking  you  ever  had — and  there  won't  be 
any  apologies  afterward,  either!" 

That  aroused  Jack  somewhat. 

"You — you  wouldn't  do  that — now?"  he  faltered. 

"Wouldn't  I  ?"  cried  Frank,  seeming  to  make  prepa- 
rations to  carry  out  his  threat.  "Well,  you'll  see!" 

"But— but " 

"There  are  no  buts  about  it !  Either  you  get  up  and 
make  one  more  struggle,  or  I'll  have  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  you  are  not  in  condition  to  make  a  struggle 
when  I  leave  you.  This  is  business,  and  it's  straight 
from  the  shoulder !" 

Diamond  remonstrated  weakly,  but  Frank  seemed 
in  sober  earnest. 

"I  believe  it  would  do  you  good,"  he  declared.  "It 
would  beat  a  little  sense  into  you.  It's  what  you  want, 
anyway." 

A  sense  of  shame  came  over  Jack. 

"If  you've  got  enough  energy  to  give  me  a  licking,  I 
ought  to  have  enough  to  make  another  try  for  life," 
he  huskily  said. 

"Of  course  you  have." 

"Well,  I'll  do  it.     It  isn't  becau»~  T  fear  the  licking, 


On  to  the  Mountains.  129 

for  that  wouldn't  make  any  difference  now,  but  I  can 
make  another  try  for  it,  if  you  can." 

Frank  dragged  the  other  boy  to  his  feet,  and  then 
picked  up  their  fallen  wheels.  Jack  was  so  weak  that 
he  could  scarcely  stand,  seeming  to  have  been  quite  ex- 
hausted by  his  last  furious  struggle  with  the  boy  who 
had  raced  across  the  desert  sands  to  save  his  life. 
Twice  Frank  caught  him  and  kept  him  from  falling. 

"What's  the  use  ?"  Diamond  hoarsely  whispered.  "I 
tell  you  I  can't  keep  in  the  saddle!" 

"And  I  tell  you  that  you  must !  There  are  the  other 
fellows,  coming  this  way.  I  will  signal  them  to  ride 
toward  the  mountains,  and  we  will  join  them." 

Frank  made  the  signal,  and  the  others  understood, 
for  they  soon  turned  .toward  the  mountains  again. 

Then  Merriwell  aided  Jack  in  mounting  and  getting 
started,  mounting  himself  after  that,  and  hurrying 
after  the  Virginian,  whose  wheel  was  making  a  very 
crooked  track  across  the  sand. 

When  it  was  necessary  Frank  supported  Jack  with  a 
hand  on  the  arm  of  the  dark-faced  lad,  speaking  en- 
couraging words  into  his  ear,  urging  him  on. 

And  thus  they  rode  toward  the  barren-looking 
Desert  Range,  where  they  must  find  water  or  death. 


i}o  On  to  the  Mountains. 

They  came  to  the  mountains  at  last,  when  the  burn- 
ing sun  was  hanging  a  ball  of  fire  in  the  western  sky. 
From  a  distance  Merriwell  had  singled  out  Split  Peak, 
which  had  served  as  his  guide.  At  the  foot  of  Split 
Peak  were  two  water-holes,  one  on  the  east  and  one  on 
the  south. 

First  Frank  sought  for  the  eastern  water-hole,  and 
he  found  it. 

But  it  was  dry! 

Dry,  save  for  the  slightest  indication  of  moisture  in 
the  sand  at  the  bottom  of  the  hole. 

"I  told  you  so!"  gasped  Diamond,  as  he  fell  to  the 
ground  in  hopeless  exhaustion.  "There  is  no  water 
here!" 

"Wait,"  said  Frank,  hoarsely.  "We'll  see  if  we 
can't  find  some.  Come,  boys;  we  must  scoop  out  the 
sand  down  there  in  the  hole — we  must  dig  for  our 
lives!" 

"By  golly !"  said  Toots ;  "dis  nigger's  reddy  teh  dig 
a  well  fo'ty  foot  deep,  if  he  can  fine  about  fo'  swallers 
ob  wattah." 

"A  well !"  muttered  Rattleton.  "We'll  sink  a  shaft 
here!" 

"Well,  I  don't  know!"  murmured  Browning. 


On  to  the  Mountains.  131 

So  they  went  to  work,  two  of  them  digging  at  a 
time,  and,  with  their  hands,  they  scooped  out  the  sand 
down  in  the  water-hole.  As  they  worked  a  little 
dirty  water  began  to  trickle  into  the  hole. 

"Yum!  yum!"  muttered  Toots,  his  eyes  shining. 
"Nebber  saw  muddy  wattah  look  so  good  befoM  I 
done  fink  I  can  drink  'bout  a  barrel  ob  dat  stuff!" 

They  worked  until  quite  exhausted,  and  then  waited 
impatiently  for  the  water  to  run  into  the  hole.  It  rose 
with  disheartening  slowness,  but  rise  it  did. 

When  he  could  do  so,  Frank  dipped  up  some  of  the 
water  with  his  drinking  cup  and  gave  it  to  Jack  first 
of  all. 

Diamond's  hands  shook  so  with  eagerness  that  he 
nearly  spilled  the  water,  and  he  greedily  turned  it  down 
his  parched  throat  at  a  gulp. 

"Merciful  goodness!  how  sweet!"  he  gasped.  "More, 
Frank — more !" 

"Wait  a  bit,  my  boy.  You  have  had  the  first  drink 
from  this  hole.  The  others  must  take  their  turn  now. 
When  it  comes  around  to  you  again,  you  shall  have 
more." 

"But  there  may  not  be  enough  to  go  around !"  Jack 
almost  snarled.  "What  good  do  you  think  a  little  like 


132  On  to  the  Mountains. 

that  can  do  a  fellow  who  is  dying  of  thirst?  I  must 
have  more — now!" 

"Well,  you  can't  have  another  drop  till  the  others 
have  taken  their  turn — not  a  taste!" 

When  Frank  spoke  like  that  he  meant  what  he  said, 
and  Jack  knew  it.  But  the  little  water  he  had  re- 
ceived had  maddened  Diamond  almost  as  much  as  had 
the  mirage.  As  Frank  turned  toward  the  water-hole, 
Jack  started  to  spring  upon  him,  crying: 

"We'll  see!" 

"Hold  on !"  said  Browning,  as  one  of  his  hands  went 
out  and  grasped  Diamond.  "I  wouldn't  do  that. 
You  are  excited.  I  reckon  I'll  have  to  sit  on  you, 
while  you  cool  off." 

Then  the  big  fellow  took  Jack  down,  and  actually 
sat  on  him,  while  the  Virginian  raved  like  a  maniac. 

"Poor  fellow!"  said  Frank,  pityingly.  "He  has  al- 
most lost  his  reason  by  what  he  has  passed  through." 

One  by  one  the  others  received  some  of  the  water, 
and  then  it  came  Jack's  turn  once  more.  By  this  time 
he  was  silent,  but  there  was  a  sullen  light  in  his  eyes. 
When  Frank  passed  him  the  water  in  the  drinking  cup 
he  shook  his  head,  and  refused  to  take  it. 

"No !"  he  muttered.     "I  won't  have  it !     Drink  it  all 


On  to  the  Mountains.  133 

up!  You  don't  care  anything  about  me!  Let  me 
die!" 

"Well,  hang  a  fool!"  snorted  Browning,  in  great 
disgust. 

"Say,  jes'  yo'  pass  dat  wattah  heah,  Marser  Frank, 
an'  see  if  dis  coon'll  refuse  teh  let  it  percolate  down 
his  froat!" 

"Yes,  give  it  to  Toots!"  grated  Diamond.  "You 
think  more  of  him  than  you  do  of  me,  anyway !  Give 
it  to  him !" 

"Don't  chool  with  that  fump — I  mean  don't  fool 
with  that  chump!"  snapped  Rattleton.  "Let  him  have 
his  own  way !  He's  got  a  bug  in  his  head ;  that's  what 
ails  him." 

"Let  him  alone,  Bruce,"  said  Frank,  quietly.  "I 
want  to  talk  to  him." 

"He  struck  at  you  behind  your  back." 

"Never  mind ;  he  won't  do  so  again." 

"Oh,  you  don't  know!"  muttered  Diamond. 

"Yes,    I    do,"    declared    Frank,    with    confidence. 

"Never  mind  us,  fellows.  I  want  a  little  quiet  talk 
with  Jack." 

They  understod  him,  and  the  two  lads  were  left 
alone. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE   SKELETON. 

Frank  began  talking  to  Diamond  in  a  smooth,  pleas- 
ant way,  appealing  to  his  sense  of  justice.  At  first 
Jack  turned  away,  as  if  he  did  not  care  to  listen,  but 
he  heard  every  word,  and  he  was  affected. 

"You  are  not  yourself,  old  fellow,"  said  Frank, 
softly,  placing  his  hand  gently  on  Diamond's  shoulder. 
"If  you  were  yourself  you  would  not  be  like  this.  It 
is  the  burning  desert,  the  blazing  sun,  the  frightful 
thirst — these  have  made  you  unlike  yourself.  I  don't 
mind  anything  you  have  said  about  me,  Jack,  for  I 
know  you  are  my  friend,  and  you  would  not  think  of 
saying  such  things  under  ordinary  circumstances.  A 
little  while  ago,  away  out  on  the  desert,  you  told  me 
that  much.  It  was  then  that  reason  came  back  to  you 
for  a  little  while.  Knowing  how  you  have  suffered,  I 
gave  you  the  first  drink  from  this  water-hole.  The 
water  ran  in  slowly,  and  I  did  not  know  that  there 
would  be  enough  to  go  around  twice.  You  were  not 
the  only  one  who  had  suffered  from  thirst,  but  the 


The  Skeleton,  135 

others  made  no  objection  to  your  having  the  first 
drink — they  wanted  you  to  have  it.  But  it  was  neces- 
sary that  they  should  have  some  of  the  water,  so  that 
all  of  us  would  be  in  condition  to  search  for  the  other 
vater-hole.  Surely,  old  fellow,  you  see  the  common 
sense  of  this.  And  now,  Jack,  look — the  water  has 
cleared,  and  more  is  running  into  the  hole.  It  will 
quench  your  thirst,  and  you  will  be  yourself  again. 
You  are  my  friend,  and  I  am  yours.  We  stand  ready 
to  fight  for  each  other  at  any  time.  If  one  of  my  ene- 
mies were  to  try  to  get  at  me  behind  my  back,  why, 
you  would " 

"Strangle  the  infernal  cur!"  shouted  Diamond. 
"Give  me  that  water,  Frank!  You  are  all  right,  and 
I'm  all  wrong !  Just  let  me  have  a  chance  to  fight  for 
you,  and  see  if  I  don't  fight  as  long  as  there  is  a  drop 
of  blood  in  my  body !" 

Merriwell  had  conquered,  but  he  showed  no  sign  of 
triumph,  although  he  quietly  said : 

"I  knew  all  the  while,  dear  old  fellow ;  in  fact,  I  be- 
lieve I  know  you  better  than  you  know  yourself." 

Then,  when  the  others  came  up,  ready  to  jolly  Dia- 
mond about  refusing  to  drink,  Frank  checked  them 
with  a  gesture. 


i}6  The  Skeleton. 

Jack  felt  better  when  he  had  taken  a  second  drink 
of  water.  As  water  had  risen  in  the  hole,  all  the  boys 
were  able  to  get  another  round,  and  the  spirits  of  all 
of  them  were  raised. 

"I  believe  we  have  some  hard  bread  and  jerked  beef, 
haven't  we,  Merry?"  asked  Browning. 

"Yes." 

"Well,  we  are  all  right,  then.  Can't  knock  us  out 
now.  All  I  need  is  a  good  chance  to  rest." 

"Oh,  you  need  rest!"  nodded  Rattleton.  "You  al- 
ways need  that.  You  can  take  more  rest  and  not  com- 
plain than  any  fellow  I  ever  saw." 

"Young  man,"  said  Bruce,  loftily,  "it  won't  work. 
I  refuse  to  let  you  get  me  on  a  string,  so  drop  it." 

"You'll  be  lucky  if  you  get  out  of  this  part  of  the 
country  without  getting  on  a  string  with  the  other  end 
hitched  to  the  limb  of  a  tree." 

"That  reminds  me,"  drawled  Bruce;  "at  the  last 
town  where  we  stopped  I  asked  a  citizen  if  there  were 
any  horse  thieves  in  that  locality,  and  he  said  there 
were  two  of  'em  hanging  around  there  the  night  be- 
fore." 

"Yes,"  nodded  Harry,  "that  was  the  place  where 


The  Skeleton.  137 

they  said  they  were  going  to  stop  lynching  if  they  had 
to  hang  every  durned  lyncher  they  could  catch." 

"Boys,"  laughed  Merriwell,  "we  are  all  right 
When  you  chaps  get  to  springing  those  things  I  feel 
there  is  no  further  danger.  We'll  pull  out  all  right." 

"Suttinly,  sar,"  grinned  Toots.  "I's  gwan  teh  bet 
mah  money  on  dis  crowd  ebry  time,  chilluns.  We's 
hot  stuff,  an'  dar  ain't  nuffin'  gwan  teh  stop  us  dis  side 
ob  San  Francisco — no,  sar!" 

Finally,  refreshed  and  filled  with  new  hope,  the  boys 
mounted  their  wheels  and  started  to  seek  for  the  sec- 
ond water-hole. 

Frank  led  the  way,  and  they  turned  to  the  south,  rid- 
ing along  the  base  of  some  barren  cliffs.  . 

"Are  you  sure  we'll  be  able  to  find  our  way  back  to 
the  water-hole  we  have  left  if  we  fail»to  discover  the 
other  one?"  asked  Rattleton. 

"I  am  taking  note  of  everything,  and  I  do  not  think 
there  will  be  any  difficulty,"  answered  Frank. 

They  had  proceeded  in  this  manner  for  about  two 
miles  when  they  saw  before  them  a  place  where  the 
barren  cliffs  opened  into  a  pass  that  seemed  to  lead 
into  the  mountains. 


138  The  Skeleton. 

"There  is  our  road!"  cried  Merriwell,  cheerfully. 
"It  should  lead  us  straight  to  the  second  water-hole." 

"Yah!  yah!"  laughed  Toots.  "Cayarn't  fool  dat 
boy,  chilluns !  He  knows  his  business,  yo'  bet !  Won't 
s'prise  me  a  bit  if  he  teks  us  stret  to  a  resyvoyer — no, 
sar!" 

They  made  for  the  pass,  and,  in  a  burst  of  energy, 
the  colored  boy  spurted  to  the  front,  taking  the  lead. 

Of  a  sudden,  as  they  approached  a  point  where  the 
bluffs  narrowed  till  they  were  close  together,  the  negro 
gave  a  sudden  wild  howl  of  terror,  tried  to  turn  his 
wheel  about  and  went  plunging  headlong  to  the 
ground. 

"Wow!"  gasped  Rattleton.     "What's  struck  him?" 

"Something  is  the  matter  with  him,  sure  as  fate," 
said  Frank. 

Toots  was  seen  to  sit  up  and  stare  toward  the  wall 
of  stone,  while  it  was  plain  that  he  was  shaking  as  if 
struck  by  an  attack  of  ague.  Then  he  tried  to  scram- 
ble up,  but  fell  on  his  knees,  with  his  hands  clasped 
and  uplifted  in  a  supplicating  attitude,  while  he  wildly 
cried : 

"Go  'way,  dar,  good  Mr.  Debbil !  I  ain't  done  nuf- 
fin'  teh  yo' !  Please  don'  touch  me !  I's  nuffin'  but  a 


The  Skeleton.  139 

po*  good-fo'-nuffin'  nigger,  an'  I  ain't  wuff  bodderin* 
wif — no,  sar!  Dar  am  some  white  boys  wif  me,  an* 
I  guess  yo'll  lek  them  a  heap  sight  better.  Jes'  yo' 
tek  one  of  them,  good  Mr.  Debbil !" 

"Has  he  gone  daffy,  too?"  muttered  Frank,  in  as- 
tonishment. 

Then  the  boys  came  whirling  up  and  sprang  from 
their  wheels,  at  which  Toots  made  a  scramble  for 
Frank,  caught  hold  of  his  knees,  and  chatteringly 
cried : 

"Don*  yeh  let  him  kerry  me  off,  Marser  Frank!  I 
knows  yo'  ain't  afeared  of  nuffin',  so  I  wants  yeh  ter 
protect  po'  Toots  from  de  debbil  wif  de  fiery  eyes !" 

But  Frank  was  so  astonished  that  he  scarcely  heard 
a  word  the  colored  boy  uttered. 

Seated  on  a  block  of  stone  in  a  niche  of  the  wall  was 
a  human  skeleton.  It  was  sitting  bolt  upright  and 
seemed  to  be  staring  at  the  boys  with  eyes  that  flashed 
a  hundred  shades  of  light. 

"Poly  hoker — no,  holy  poker!"  palpitated  Harry, 
leaning  hard  on  his  wheel.  "What  have  we  struck?" 

For  a  time  the  others  were  speechless. 

Wonderfully  and  fantastically  was  the  skeleton  deco- 
rated. On  its  head  was  a  rude  crown  that  seemed  to 


140  The  Skeleton. 

be  of  glittering  gold,  while  gold  bracelets  adorned  its 
arms.  About  the  fleshless  neck  was  a  chain  of  gold, 
to  which  a  large  locket  was  attached,  and  across  the 
ribs  was  strung  a  gold  watch-chain,  while  there  were 
other  fantastic  and  costly  ornaments  dangling  over 
those  bones  of  a  human  being. 

The  eyes  of  the  skeleton,  flashing  so  many  different 
lights,  seemed  to  be  two  huge  diamonds  of  enormous 
value. 

No  wonder  the  young  cyclists  stared  in  astonish- 
ment at  the  marvelously  bejeweled  skeleton! 

"Well,  drawled  Browning,  with  his  usual  noncha- 
lance, "the  gentleman  seems  to  have  dressed  up  in  his 
best  to  receive  us.  Some  one  must  have  sent  him 
word  we  were  coming." 

Toots,  seeing  the  others  did  not  seem  frightened, 
had  got  on  his  feet  and  picked  up  his  bicycle. 

"Goodness!"  muttered  Diamond.  "If  all  those 
decorations  are  solid  gold,  there  is  a  small  fortune  in 
sight!" 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  this,  Frank?"  asked  Rat- 
tleton.  "How  do  you  suppose  this  skeleton  happens 
to  be  here?" 


The  Skeleton.  141 

"Ask  me  something  easy,"  said  Merriwell,  shaking 
his  head. 

"The  skeleton  must  have  been  decorated  in  that  man- 
ner by  some  living  person,"  asserted  Rattleton. 

"But  where  is  that  person  ?" 

"Not  here,  that  is  sure." 

"It  may  be  a  warning,"  said  Jack,  gloomily. 

"Warning,  nothing!"  exclaimed  Frank.  "It  is  plain 
the  thing  has  been  left  there  by  some  person,  and  we 
are  the  discoverers.  It  must  be  that  the  skeleton  is 
that  of  some  poor  devil  who  perished  here  for  want 
of  water." 

"And  it  may  be  that  the  one  who  placed  it  there  per- 
ished also/'  said  Rattleton. 

"Very  likely." 

"In  which  case,''  came  eagerly  from  Jack's  lips,  "all 
that  treasure  belongs  to  us!  Boys,  it  is  a  wonderful 
stroke  of  fortune !  We  have  made  enough  to  take  the 
whole  of  us  through  Yale,  and " 

"If  we  ever  get  back  to  Yale,  old  fellow !  This  un- 
fortunate fellow  perished  here,  and  our  fate  may  be 
similar." 

"Boo!"  shivered  Browning.  "That's  pleasant  to 
think  about !" 


142  The  Skeleton. 

"More  than  that,"  Frank  went  on,  "the  treasure 
does  not  belong  to  us  if  we  can  find  the  real  owner  or 
his  heirs." 

The  excitement  and  interest  of  the  boys  was  great. 
They  were  eager  to  examine  the  decorations  of  the 
mysterious  skeleton. 

"We'll  stack  our  wheels,  and  then  one  of  us  can 
climb  up  and  make  an  inspection,"  said  Frank. 

So  they  proceeded  to  stack  their  wheels,  Toots  ob- 
serving : 

"Yo'  can  fool  wif  dat  skillerton  if  yo'  wants  to,  chil- 
luns,  but  dis  nigger's  gwan  teh  keep  right  away  from 
it.  Bet  fo'  dollars  it  will  jest  reach  out  dem  arms  and 
grab  de  firs'  one  dat  gits  near  it.  Wo-oh!  Land  ob 
wartermillions !  it  meks  me  have  de  fevah  an'  chillins 
jes'  to  fink  ob  it!" 

"We'll  draw  lots  to  see  who  goes  up,"  said  Frank, 
winking  at  the  others.  "You  will  have  to  eo  if  it  falls 
to  you,  Toots." 

"Oh,  mah  goodness!"  gasped  the  frightened  darky. 
"I  ain't  gwan  teh  draw  no  lots,  Marser  Frank — no, 
sar!  I's  got  a  po'erful  bad  case  ob  heart  trouble,  an' 
mah  doctah  hab  reckermended  dat  I  don't  fool  roun' 


The  Skeleton.  143 

no  skillertons.  He  said  it  might  result  distrus  if  I 
boddered  wif  skillertons." 

"What's  that?"  cried  Frank,  sternly.  "Would  you 
drink  your  share  of  water  when  water  is  so  precious 
and  not  take  even  chances  with  the  rest  of  us  in  any 
danger  ?" 

"Now,  Marser  Frank!"  cried  the  darky,  appeal- 
ingly;  "don'  go  fo'  to  be  too  hard  on  a  po'  nigger  I 
De  trubble  wif  me  is  dat  I'm  jes'  a  nacheral  bo'n 
coward,  an'  I  can't  git  over  hit  nohow.  Dat's  what 
meks  mah  heart  turn  flip-flops  ebry  time  dar's  any 
dangar,  sar." 

"But  think  of  the  treasure  up  there  that  we  have 
found.  If  it  should  fall  to  you  to  investigate,  and  you 
were  to  bring  down  that  treasure,  of  course  you  would 
receive  your  share,  the  same  as  the  rest  of  us." 

"Lawd  bress  yeh,  honey!  I  don'  want  no  treasure 
if  I've  goter  go  an'  fotch  hit  down.  I'd  a  heap  sight 
rudder  nebber  hab  no  treasure  dan  git  wifin  reachin' 
distance  of  dat  skillerton — yes,  sar!" 

"Don't  fool  with  him,  Merry,"  said  Diamond,  im- 
patiently. "Of  course  you  don't  expect  to  send  him 
up,  and  you  won't  think  of  giving  him  any  part  of  the 
treasure." 


144  The  Skeleton. 

Frank  flashed  a  look  at  the  Virginian,  and  saw  that 
Jack  was  in  earnest. 

"You  are  mistaken,  old  man,"  he  said.  "I  do  not 
expect  Toots  to  go  up  there,  but,  if  there  is  a  real 
treasure  and  it  is  divided,  you  may  be  sure  he  will 
receive  his  share." 

"Oh,  well!"  cried  Jack,  somewhat  taken  aback;  "of 
course  I  don't  care  what  you  do  about  that,  but  I 
thought  you  were  in  earnest  about  what  you  were 
saying." 

"The  trouble  with  you,"  muttered  Rattleton,  speak- 
ing so  low  that  Jack  could  not  hear  him,  "is  that  you 
never  see  through  a  joke." 

"Come,"  spoke  Browning,  "if  we've  got  to  take 
chances  to  see  who  goes  up  and  makes  the  examina- 
tion, come  on.  I  hope  to  get  out  of  it  myself,  but  if 
I  must,  I  must." 

"We  need  not  take  chances,"  said  Frank,  promptly. 
"I  will  go." 

"It  will  not  be  difficult,  for  it  is  no  climb  at  all," 
said  Jack.  "Two  of  us  can  swing  ourselves  up  there 
in  a  moment,  and  I  will  go  with  you,  Merry." 

Then  it  was  that  Rattleton  suddenly  gave  a  great 
cry  of  stupefied  amazement. 


The  Skeleton.  145 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Merriwell. 

"Look!  look!"  gasped  Harry,  pointing  toward  the 
niche  in  the  rocks.  "The  skeleton — it  has  disap- 
peared !" 

They  looked,  and,  dumb  for  the  time  with  amaze- 
ment and  dismay,  they  saw  Rattleton  spoke  the  truth. 

The  mysterious  skeleton  had  vanished! 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
"INDIANS  !" 

"Gone!"  cried  Jack. 

"Sure!"  nodded  Frank. 

"Lordy  massy  sakes  teh  goose-grease!"  gasped 
Toots,  again  shivering  with  terror.  "Didn't  I  done 
tole  yeh,  chilluns !  If  yo'  know  when  yo'  am  well  off, 
yeh'll  git  erway  from  heah  jes'  as  quick  as  yeh  can 
trabbel!  Oh,  mah  goodness!" 

Shaking  in  every  limb,  the  colored  boy  tried  to  get 
his  bicycle  out  from  the  others,  lost  his  balance,  fell 
over,  and  sent  the  entire  stack  of  wheels  crashing  to 
the  ground. 

"Well,  this  seems  to  be  a  regular  sleight-of-hand 
performance,"  coolly  commented  Browning.  "Now 
you  see  it,  and  now  you  don't;  guess  where  it's  gone. 
It  drives  me  to  a  cigarette." 

But  he  discovered  that  his  cigarettes  were  gone, 
which  seemed  to  concern  him  far  more  than  the  van- 
ishing of  the  skeleton.  He  declared  he  had  lost  a  whole 


"Indians!"  147 

package,  and  seemed  to  feel  quite  as  bad  about  it  as  if 
they  were  solid  gold. 

Rattleton  was  excited. 

"What  sort  of  pocus-hocus — no,  hocus-pocus  is  this, 
anyway?"  he  spluttered.  "Where's  it  gone?  Who 
wayed  the  old  thing  a  took.  I  mean  who  took  the  old 
thing  away?" 

"It  couldn't  have  gone  away  of  its  own  accord," 
said  Frank,  "so  some  one  must  have  removed  it." 

"Don'  yeh  fool  yo'se'f  dat  way,  Marser  Frank!" 
cried  Toots,  sitting  up  amid  the  fallen  wheels.  "Dat 
skillerton  am  de  berry  ol'  scratch  hisse'f!  De  next 
thing  some  ob  dis  crowd  will  be  disumpearin'  dat  way. 
Gwan  ter  git  kerried  off,  ohilluns,  if  yo'  don'  git  out 
ob  dis  in  a  hurry." 

"Oh,  shut  up !"  snapped  Diamond.  "You  make  me 
tired  with  your  chatter!" 

"Mistah  Dimund,"  said  the  colored  boy,  with  at- 
tempted dignity,  "if  yo'll  let  dat  debbil  kerry  yo'  off 
yo'll  nebber  be  missed — no,  sar." 

Jack  pretended  he  did  not  hear  those  words. 

"Here  goes  to  see  what  has  become  of  the  thing!" 
cried  Frank,  as  he  scrambled  up  to  the  niche  where  the 
skeleton  had  sat 


148  "Indians!" 

"I  am  with  you!"  cried  Diamond,  as  he  followed 
Frank  closely. 

Reaching  the  nook  in  the  face  of  the  cliff,  they  looked 
about  for  some  sign  of  the  skeleton  that  had  been 
there  a  short  time  before,  but  not  a  sign  of  it  could 
they  see.  The  ghastly  thing  was  gone,  and  the  glit- 
tering ornaments  had  vanished  with  it.  The  block  of 
stone  on  which  the  object  had  sat  was  still  there. 

"Well,  fat  do  you  whind — I  mean  what  do  you 
find?"  cried  Rattleton,  impatiently. 

"Not  a  thing,"  was  the  disgusted  reply.  "It  has 
gone,  sure  as  fate!" 

"So  have  my  cigarettes!"  groaned  Browning. 

"The  treasure — is  any  of  that  there?"  asked  Harry, 
eagerly. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it." 

"Well,  that's  what  I  call  an  unfair  deal,"  murmured 
Bruce.  "It  is  a  blow  below  the  belt.  If  the  old  skele- 
ton had  desired  to  go  away,  none  of  us  would  have 
objected,  but  it  might  have  left  the  trimmings  with 
which  it  was  adorned." 

Frank  was  puzzled,  and  the  more  he  investigated 
the  greater  grew  his  wonder.  He  knew  they  had  seen 


"Indians  1"  149 

the  skeleton,  yet  it  had  vanished  like  fog  before  a 

blazing  sun. 

Jack  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  shivered,  saying: 

"There's  something  uncanny  about  it,  old  man.  I 
believe  it  is  a  warning." 

"Nonsense!"  cried  Frank.  "What  sort  of  a  warn- 
ing?" 

"A  warning  of  the  fate  that  awaits  all  of  us." 

"You  are  not  well,  Jack." 

"Oh,  it  is  not  that!  First  we  see  a  lake  of  water, 
and  that  disappears;  then  we  see  this  skeleton,  and 
now  that  has  vanished.  You  must  confess  that  there 
is  something  remarkable  in  it  all." 

"The  vanishing  of  the  mirage  came  about  in  a 
natural  manner,  but " 

"But  you  must  confess  there  was  something  decid- 
edly unnatural  about  the  vanishing  of  the  skeleton." 

"It  was  removed  by  human  hands — I  will  wager 
anything  on  that." 

"Then  where  is  the  human  being  who  removed  it?" 

"I  don't  know." 

Unable  to  remain  below,  Rattleton  came  climbing 
up  to  the  niche. 

"I've  got  to  satisfy  myself,"   he  said,  as  he  felt 


150  "Indians!" 

about  with  his  hands,  as  if  he  expected  to  discover  the 
vanished  skeleton  in  that  manner.  "I  can't  see  how 
the  blamed  old  thing  could  get  away !" 

"Well,  you  can  see  quite  as  well  as  we  can,"  ac- 
knowledged Frank.  "It  is  gone,  and  that  is  all  we  can 
tell  about  it." 

The  boys  satisfied  themselves  that  the  thing  had 
really  disappeared,  and  they  could  not  begin  to  solve 
the  mystery.  After  a  time  they  returned  to  the 
ground. 

"It  am  de  debbil's  work!"  asserted  Toots.  "Don' 
yeh  mek  no  misteks  'bout  dat,  chilluns." 

They  held  a  "council  of  war,"  and  it  was  resolved 
that  they  should  go  on  through  the  pass  and  try  to 
find  the  second  water-hole  before  darkness  fell. 

Already  night  was  close  at  hand,  and  they  must 
needs  lose  no  time, 

"We  can  come  back  here  in  the  morning  and  see 
if  we're  able  to  solve  the  mystery,"  said  Merriwell. 
"I,  for  one,  do  not  feel  like  going  away  without  mak 
ing  another  attempt  at  it." 

"Nor  I,"  nodded  Rattleton. 

"It  is  folly,"  declared  Jack,  gloomily.     "I  say  we 


"Indians!"  151 

•have  been  warned,  and  the  best  thing  we  can  do  is  get 
away  as  soon  as  possible." 

"By  golly!  dat  am  de  firs'  sensibul  fing  I've  heard 
yo'  say  in  fo'  days!"  cried  Toots,  approvingly. 

They  picked  up  their  wheels,  and  soon  were  ready 
to  mount. 

"Here's  good-by  to  the  vanishing  skeleton  for  to- 
night," cried  Frank. 

He  was  answered  by  a  wild  peal  of  mocking  laugh- 
ter that  seemed  to  run  along  the  face  of  the  cliff  in 
a  most  remarkable  manner. 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!"  it  sounded,  hoarsely,  and  "Ha!  ha! 
ha !"  came  down  from  the  rocks,  like  a  mystic  echo. 

"O-oh,  Lordy!" 

Toots  made  a  jump  for  the  saddle  of  his  bicycle, 
but  jumped  too  far  and  went  clean  over  the  wheel, 
striking  his  knee  and  turning  in  the  air,  to  fall  with  a 
thump  on  the  back  of  his  neck. 

"Mah  goodness!"  he  gurgled,  as  he  lay  on  the 
ground,  dazed  by  the  shock  of  the  fall.  "De  ol'  debbil 
done  gib  meh  a  boost  then  fo'  suah!" 

The  other  lads  looked  at  each  other  in  perplexity. 

"Well,  wh-wh-what  do  you  think  of  that?"  stam- 
mered Rattleton. 


152  "Indians!" 

"He  ought  to  file  his  voice,  whoever  he  is,"  coolly 
observed  Browning.  "It's  a  little  rough  along  the 
edges." 

"It  strikes  me  that  somebody  is  having  fun  with  us," 
said  Merriwell,  a  look  of  displeasure  on  his  face. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ?"  asked  Harry. 

"We  don't  seem  able  to  do  much  of  anything  now. 
Come  on." 

Toots  scrambled  up,  and  they  mounted  their  wheels. 
As  they  started  to  ride  away,  a  hollow-sounding  voice 
cried: 

"Stop!" 

"Oh,  riv  us  a  guest — I  mean  give  us  a  rest !"  flung 
back  Rattleton. 

"Stop!"  repeated  the  mysterious  voice.  "Do  not 
try  the  pass.  There  is  danger  beyond.  Turn  back." 

"I  told  you  it  was  a  warning!"  cried  Jack.  "What 
do  you  think  of  it  now?" 

"I  think  somebody  is  trying  to  have  a  lot  of  sport 
with  us!"  exclaimed  Frank. 

"Well,  what  are  you  going  to  do?" 

"Not  a  thing.  I  don't  propose  to  pay  any  atten- 
tion to  it.  Come  on,  fellows.  We  must  have  more 


"Indians!" 

water,  and  there's  none  too  much  time  to  find  it  be- 
fore dark." 

Diamond  was  tempted  to  declare  he  would  not  go 
any  further,  but  he  knew  the  others  would  stand  by 
Frank,  and  so  he  pedaled  along. 

As  they  drew  away  from  the  spot  where  they  had 
seen  the  skeleton,  they  heard  the  mysterious  voice 
calling  to  them  again,  commanding  them  to  stop  and 
turn  back.  Thus  it  continued  till  they  had  ridden  on 
so  that  it  could  be  heard  no  longer. 

Despite  himself  Frank  had  been  impressed  by  what 
he  had  seen  and  heard,  and  a  feeling  of  awe  was  on 
him.  Ahead  the  shadows  were  thick  where  the  dark 
cliffs  seemed  to  come  together,  and  there  was  some- 
thing grim  and  overpowering  about  the  bare  and 
towering  mountains  that  sullenly  frowned  down  upon 
the  little  party. 

The  boys  were  silent,  for  they  had  no  words  to 
speak.  Each  was  busy  with  his  thoughts,  and  those 
thoughts  were  not  of  the  most  pleasant  character. 

A  feeling  of  heart-sickening  loneliness  settled  down 
upon  them  and  made  them  long  for  the  homes  that 
were  so  far  away.  What  satisfaction  was  there,  after 
all,  in  this  great  ride  across  the  continent?  They  had 


154  "Indians!" 

encountered  innumerable  perils,  and  now  it  seemed 
that  they  were  overshadowed  by  the  greatest  peril 
of  all. 

How  still  it  was!  The  mountains  seemed  like 
crouching  monsters  of  the  great  desert,  waiting  there 
to  spring  upon  and  crush  them  out  of  existence.  There 
was  something  fearsome  and  frightful  in  their  grim 
air  of  waiting. 

The  whirring  of  the  wheels  was  a  warning  whisper, 
or  the  deadly  hiss  of  a  serpent.  As  they  passed  between 
the  frowning  bluffs,  which  rose  on  either  hand,  the 
whirring  sound  seemed  to  become  louder  and  louder 
till  it  was  absolutely  awesome. 

Frank  looked  back,  and  of  all  the  party  Bruce 
Browning  was  the  only  one  whose  face  remained  stolid 
and  impassive.  It  did  not  seem  that  he  had  been 
affected  in  the  least  by  what  had  happened. 

"He  has  wonderful  nerve!"  thought  Merriwell. 

Diamond's  dark  face  seemed  pale,  and  there  was  an 
anxious  look  on  the  face  of  Rattleton.  Toots  betrayed 
his  excitement  and  fear  most  distinctly. 

Frank  feared  they  would  not  get  through  the  pass 
in  time  to  find  the  second  water-hole,  and  he  increased 
his  speed. 


"Indians!"  155 

The  ground  was  favorable  for  swift  riding.  At  that 
time  Merriwell  thought  it  fortunate,  but,  later,  he 
changed  his  mind. 

Of  a  sudden  the  pass  between  the  bluffs  ended,  and 
they  shot  out  into  a  valley  or  basin. 

A  cry  of  astonishment  and  alarm  came  from  Frank's 
lips,  and  he  used  all  his  energy  to  check  and  turn  his 
flying  wheel. 

Before  them  blazed  a  fire,  and  around  that  fire  were 
gathered 

"Indians!"  palpitated  Harry  Rattleton, 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

BLUE    WOLF    TRIES    THE    BICYCLE. 

"Indians!"  echoed  Jack  Diamond. 

"Indians?"  grunted  Bruce  Browning,  astonished. 

"O-oh,  Lordy!"  gasped  Toots.  "Dis  am  whar  a 
nigger  boy  I  know  is  gwan  teh  lose  his  scalp  fo'  suah !" 

"Turn!"  commanded  Frank — "turn  to  the  left,  and 
we'll  make  a  run  to  get  back  through  the  pass." 

But  they  were  seen,  and  the  redskins  about  the  fire 
sprang  to  their  feet  with  loud  whoops. 

At  the  first  whoop  Toots  gave  a  howl  and  threw  up 
both  hands. 

"Don'  yo'  shoot,  good  Mistar  Injunses !"  he  shouted. 
"I's  jes'  a  common  brack  nigger,  an'  I  ain't  no  'count 
nohow.  Mah  scalp  wouldn'  be  no  good  teh  yo' 
arter " 

Then  he  took  a  header  off  his  wobbling  machine 
and  fell  directly  before  Jack,  whose  bicycle  struck  his 
body,  and  Diamond  was  hurled  to  the  ground. 

"Stop,  fellows!"  cried  Merriwell.  "We  mustn't 
run  away  and  leave  them !  Come  back  here !" 


Blue  Wolf  Tries  the  Bicycle.         157 

From  his  wheel  he  leaped  to  the  ground  in  a  mo- 
ment, running  to  Diamond's  side.  Grasping  Jack  by 
the  arm  he  exclaimed : 

"Up,  old  fellow — up  and  onto  your  wheel!  We 
may  be  able  to  get  away  now!  We'll  make  a  bluff 
for  it." 

But  it  was  useless,  for  Jack  was  so  stunned  that  he 
could  not  get  on  his  feet,  though  he  tried  to  do  so. 

Toots  was  stretched  at  full  length  on  the  ground, 
praying  and  begging  the  "good  Injunses"  not  to 
bother  with  his  scalp,  saying  the  hair  was  so  crooked 
that  it  was  "no  good  nohow." 

Up  came  the  redskins  on  a  run  and  surrounded  the 
boys,  Bruce  and  Harry  having  turned  back. 

Browning  assumed  a  defensive  attitude,  muttering: 

"Well,  if  we're  in  for  a  scrap,  I'll  try  to  get  a  crack 
at  one  or  two  of  these  homely  mugs  before  I'm  pol- 
ished off." 

There  were  seven  of  the  Indians,  and  nearly  all  of 
them  carried  weapons  in  their  hands.  Although  they 
were  not  in  war  paint,  they  were  a  decidedly  ugly-look- 
ing gang,  and  their  savage  little  eyes  denoted  anything 
but  friendliness. 


158         Blue  Wolf  Tries  the  Bicycle. 

"Ugh!"  grunted  the  tallest  Indian  of  the  party,  an 
old  fellow  with  a  scarred  and  wrinkled  face, 

"Ugh!  ugh!  ugh!"  grunted  the  others. 

Then  they  stared  at  the  boys  and  their  bicycles,  the 
latter  seeming  a  great  curiosity  to  them. 

"Well,  this  is  a  scrolly  old  jape — I  mean  a  jolly  old 
scrape!"  fluttered  Rattleton.  "We're  in  for  it!" 

Toots  looked  up,  saw  the  Indians,  uttered  another 
wild  howl,  and  tried  to  bury  his  head  in  the  sand,  like 
an  ostrich. 

Frank  singled  out  the  tall  Indian  and  spoke  to  him. 

"How  do  you  do?"  he  said. 

"How,"  returned  the  Indian,  with  dignity. 

"Unfortunately  we  did  not  know  you  were  here,  or 
we  should  not  have  called,"  explained  Merriwell. 

The  savage  nodded,  the  single  black  feather  in  his 
hair  fluttering  like  a  pennant  as  he  did  so. 

"Urn  know,"  he  said.  "Um  see  white  boy  heap 
much  surprised." 

"Jee!  he  can  talk  United  States!"  muttered  Rattle- 
ton. 

"Talk  it !"  said  Bruce,  in  disgust.  "He  can  chew  it, 
that's  all." 

"I  trust  we  have  not  disturbed  you,"  said  Frank, 


Blue  Wolf  Tries  the  Bicycle.         159 

calmly;  "and  we  will  leave  you  in  your  glory  as  soon 
as  my  friend,  who  fell  from  his  wheel,  is  able  to 
mount  and  ride." 

"No,  no!"  quickly  declared  the  tall  Indian;  "white 
boy  no  go  'way.  Injun  like  um  heap  much." 

Browning  lifted  his  cap  and  felt  for  his  scalp. 

"It  may  be  my  last  opportunity  to  examine  it,"  he 
murmured. 

"But  we  are  in  a  hurry,  and  we  can't  stop  with  you, 
however  much  we  may  desire  to  do  so,"  declared 
Frank,  glibly.  "You  see  we  are  on  urgent  business." 

"Yes,  very  urgent,"  agreed  Rattleton.  "Smoly 
hoke — no,  holy  smoke!  don't  I  wish  I  were  back  to 
New  Haven,  New  York,  any  old  place!" 

"White  boys  must  stop,"  said  the  big  savage. 
"Black  Feather  say  so,  that  settle  um." 

"I  am  afraid  it  does,"  confessed  Browning. 

Diamond  got  upon  his  feet,  assisted  by  Frank. 

"Well,"  he  said,  somewhat  bitterly,  "that  is  what  we 
have  come  to  by  failing  to  heed  the  warning  we  re- 
ceived !" 

"Don't  go  to  croaking!"  snapped  Rattleton.  "These 
Indians  are  peaceable.  They  are  not  on  the  war  path." 

"But  they  are  off  the  reservation,"  said  Frank,  in  a 


160         Blue  Wolf  Tries  the  Bicycle. 

low  tone;  "and  that  is  bad.  They  have  us  foul,  and 
there  is  no  telling  what  they  may  take  a  notion  to  do." 

"It's  pretty  sure  they'll  take  a  notion  to  do  us," 
sighed  Harry. 

The  tall  Indian,  who  had  given  his  name  as  Black 
Feather,  professed  great  friendliness,  and,  when  the 
boys  told  him  they  had  been  looking  for  the  water- 
hole,  he  said : 

"Urn  water-hole  dare  by  fire.  Good  water,  heap 
much  of  it.  Come,  have  all  water  um  want." 

"Well,  that  is  an  inducement,"  confessed  Browning. 
"We  may  be  able  to  get  a  square  drink  before  we  are 
scalped." 

It  was  with  no  small  difficulty  that  Toots  was  forced 
to  get  up,  and,  after  he  was  on  his  feet,  he  would  look 
at  first  one  Indian  and  then  dodge,  and  look  at  another, 
each  time  gurgling: 

"O-oh,  Lord!" 

And  so,  surrounded  by  the  Indians,  the  boys  moved 
over  to  the  fire,  which  was  near  the  water-hole,  as 
Black  Feather  had  declared. 

"Well,  we'll  all  drink,"  said  Frank,  as  he  produced 
his  pocket  cup  and  proceeded  to  fill  it.  "Here,  fel- 
lows, take  turns." 


Blue  Wolf  Tries  the  Bicycle.         161 

While  they  were  doing  so  the  Indians  were  examin- 
ing their  bicycles  with  great  curiosity.  It  was  plain 
the  savages  had  never  before  seen  anything  of  the 
kind,  and  they  were  rilled  with  astonishment  and  mys- 
tification. They  grunted  and  jabbered,  and  then  one 
of  them  decided  to  get  on  and  try  one  of  the  wheels. 

It  happened  that  this  one  was  the  smallest,  shortest- 
legged  redskin  of  the  lot,  and  he  selected  the  machine 
with  the  highest  frame. 

"Ugh!"  -he  grunted.  "White  boy  ride  two-wheel 
boss,  Injun  him  ride  two-wheel  hoss  heap  same. 
Watch  Blue  Wolf." 

"Yes,"  said  Browning,  softly,  nudging  Merriwell 
in  the  ribs  with  his  elbow,  "watch  Blue  Wolf,  and  you 
will  see  him  smash  my  bicycle.  I  sincerely  hope  he 
will  break  his  confounded  head  at  the  same  time!" 

"White  boy  show  Injun  how  urn  git  on,"  ordered 
Blue  Wolf. 

"Go  ahead,  Bruce,"  directed  Frank. 

"Oh,  thunder!"  groaned  the  big  fellow.  "I'm  so 
tired!" 

But  he  was  forced  to  show  the  Indians  how  he 
mounted  the  wheel,  which  he  did,  being  dragged  off 
almost  as  soon  as  he  got  astride  the  saddle. 


162         Blue  Wolf  Tries  the  Bicycle. 

"Ugh!"  grunted  Blue  Wolf,  with  great  satisfaction. 
"Urn  heap  much  easy.  Watch  Blue  Wolf." 

"Yes,  watch  Blue  Wolf!"  repeated  Browning.  "It 
will  be  good  as  a  circus!  Oh,  my  poor  bicycle!" 

With  no  small  difficulty  the  little  Indian  steadied 
the  wheel,  reaching  forward  to  grasp  the  handlebars 
while  standing  behind  it.  The  first  time  he  lifted  his 
foot  to  place  it  on  the  step  he  lost  his  balance  and  fell 
over  with  the  machine. 

The  other  Indians  grunted,  and  Blue  Wolf  got  up, 
saying  something  in  his  own  language  that  seemed  to 
make  the  atmosphere  warmer  than  it  was  before. 

The  bicycle  was  lifted  and  held  for  the  little  Indian 
to  make  another  trial.  He  looked  as  if  he  longed  to 
kick  it  into  a  thousand  pieces,  but  braced  up,  placed  his 
foot  on  the  step  and  made  a  wild  leap  for  the  saddle. 
He  missed  the  saddle,  struck  astride  the  frame  just  back 
of  the  handlebars,  uttered  a  wild  howl  of  dismay,  and 
went  down  in  hopeless  entanglement  with  the  unfor- 
tunate machine. 

"Wow!"  howled  Blue  Wolf. 

"Oh,  my  poor  bicycle!"  groaned  Browning,  once 
more. 

The  fallen  redman  kicked  the  bicycle  into  the  air, 


Blue  Wolf  Tries  the  Bicycle.         163 

but  it  promptly  came  down  astride  his  neck  and  drove 
his  nose  into  the  dirt. 

"Ugh!"  grunted  the  watching  Indians,  solemnly. 

"Whoop!"  roared  Blue  Wolf,  spitting  out  a  mouth- 
ful of  dirt. 

Then  he  made  another  frantic  attempt  to  cast  the 
machine  off,  but  it  persisted  in  sticking  to  him  in  a 
wonderful  manner.  One  of  his  arms  was  thrust 
through  the  spokes  of  the  forward  wheel  to  the  shoul- 
der, and  as  he  tried  to  yank  it  out,  the  rear  wheel  spun 
around  and  one  of  the  pedals  gave  him  a  terrific  thump 
on  the  top  of  the  head. 

"Yah!"  snarled  the  unlucky  Indian. 

"Two- wheel  hoss  kick  a  heap,"  observed  Black 
Feather. 

Blue  Wolf  tried  to  struggle  to  his  feet,  but  he  was 
so  entangled  with  the  bicycle  that  it  seemed  to  fling 
him  down  with  astonishing  violence. 

Then  as  the  noble  red  man  kicked,  and  squirmed, 
and  struggled,  the  bicycle  danced  and  pranced  upon  his 
prostrate  body  like  a  thing  of  life. 

"O-o-oh!"  wailed  Blue  Wolf,  in  pain  and  fear. 

Toots  suddenly  forgot  his  fears,  and  holding  onto 


1 64        Blue  Wolf  Tries  the  Bicycle. 

his  side,  he  doubled  up  with  a  wild  burst  of  "coon" 
laughter. 

"Oh,  land  ob  water-millions !"  he  shouted.  "Dat 
bisuckle  am  knockin'  de  stuffin'  out  ob  Mistah  Injun ! 
Yah!  yah!  yah!  Lordy!  lordy!  'Scuse  meh,  but  I 
has  ter  laff  if  it  costs  me  all  de  wool  on  mah  haid !" 

Browning  folded  his  arms,  a  look  of  intense  satisfac- 
tion on  his  face  as  he  observed : 

"I  have  made  a  discovery  that  will  be  worth  millions 
of  dollars  to  the  government  of  the  United  States. 
Now  I  know  a  swift  and  sure  way  of  settling  the  In- 
dian question.  Provide  every  Indian  in  the  country 
with  a  bicycle,  and  there  will  be  no  Indians  left  in 
a  week  or  two." 

"Camlet's  host — I  mean  Hamlet's  ghost!"  chuckled 
Rattleton,  holding  his  hand  over  his  mouth  to  keep 
from  shrieking  with  laughter.  "I  never  saw  anything 
like  that  before!" 

Merriwell  sprang  forward  and  assisted  Blue  Wolf 
in  untangling  himself  from  the  wheel,  fearing  the  bi- 
cycle would  be  utterly  ruined. 

The  little  Indian  was  badly  done  up.  His  face  was 
cut  and  bleeding  in  several  places,  and  he  was  covered 
with  dirt.  With  some  difficulty  he  got  upon  his  feet, 


Blue  Wolf  Tries  the  Bicycle.         165 

and  then  he  backed  away  from  the  bicycle,  at  which 
he  glared  with  an  expression  of  great  fear  on  his 
countenance. 

"Heap  bad  medicine!"  he  observed. 

It  seemed  that  the  other  Indians  were  really  amused, 
although  they  remained  solemn  and  impassive. 

"Give  me  hatchet!"  Blue  Wolf  suddenly  snarled. 
"Heap  fix  two-wheel  hoss !" 

He  would  have  made  a  rush  for  the  offending  wheel, 
but  Frank  held  up  a  hand  warningly,  crying: 

"Beware,  Blue  Wolf!  It  is  in  truth  bad  medicine, 
and  it  will  put  a  curse  upon  you  if  you  do  it  harm. 
Your  squaw  will  die  of  hunger  before  another  moon, 
your  children  shall  make  food  for  the  coyotes,  and  your 
bones  shall  bleach  on  the  desert!  Beware!" 

Blue  Wolf  paused,  dismay  written  on  his  face.  He 
longed  to  smash  the  bicycle,  but  he  was  convinced  that 
it  was  really  "bad  medicine,"  and  he  was  afraid  to 
injure  it. 

"Say,  that  is  great,  old  man!'  enthusiastically  whis- 
pered Rattleton  in  Merriwell's  ear.  "Keep  it  up." 

"Blue  Wolf  not  hurt  two-wheel  hoss,"  declared 
Black  Feather,  who  seemed  to  be  the  chief  of  the  little 
band.  "Want  to  see  white  boy  ride." 


1 66        Blue  Wolf  Tries  the  Bicycle. 

"Do  you  mean  that  you  want  me  to  ride?"  asked 
Frank. 

"Ugh!" 

"All  right,"  said  Frank.  "I'll  show  you  how  it  is 
done." 

Then  he  motioned  for  the  savages  to  stand  aside. 

"No  try  to  run  'way,"  warned  Black  Feather.  "In- 
jun shoot  um." 

"All  right,  your  royal  jiblets.  If  I  try  to  run  away 
you  may  take  a  pop  at  me." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

TRICK    RIDING. 

The  Indians  made  room  for  Frank  to  mount  and 
ride. 

Standing  beside  the  wheel  Frank  sprang  into  the 
saddle  without  using  the  step,  caught  the  pedals  and 
started. 

The  savages  gave  utterance  to  a  grunt  of  wonder 
and  admiration. 

Frank  had  practiced  trick  riding,  and  he  now  pro- 
posed to  exhibit  his  skill,  feeling  that  it  might  be  a 
good  scheme  to  astonish  the  savages. 

He  started  the  bicycle  into  a  circle,  round  which 
he  rode  with  the  greatest  ease,  and  then  of  a  sudden  he 
passed  one  leg  over  the  frame,  and  stood  up  on  one 
of  the  pedals,  which  he  kept  in  motion  at  the  same 
time. 

The  Indians  nodded  and  looked  pleased. 

Then  Frank  began  to  step  cross-legged  from  pedal 
to  pedal,  passing  his  feet  over  the  cross  bar  of  the 
frame  and  keeping  the  wheel  in  motion  all  the  time. 


168  Trick  Riding. 

A  moment  later  he  whirled  about,  and  with  his  face 
toward  the  rear,  continued  to  pedal  the  bicycle  ahead 
the  same  as  if  he  had  been  seated  in  the  usual  man- 
ner on  the  saddle. 

"Heap  good!"  observed  Black  Feather. 

• 

Then,  like  a  cat  Merriwell  wheeled  about,  lifted  his 
feet  over  the  handlebars  to  which  he  clung,  slipped 
down  till  he  hung  over  the  forward  wheel,  placed  his 
feet  on  the  pedals,  and  rode  in  that  manner.  This  made 
it  look  as  though  he  were  dragging  the  bicycle  along 
behind  him. 

There  was  a  stir  among  the  Indians,  and  they  looked 
at  each  other. 

Without  stopping  the  bicycle,  Frank  swung  back 
over  the  handlebars  to  the  saddle.  Having  reached 
this  position,  he  stopped  suddenly,  turning  the  for- 
ward wheel  at  an  angle,  sitting  there  and  gracefully 
balancing  on  the  stationary  machine. 

"Heap  much  good!"  declared  Black  Feather,  grow- 
ing enthusiastic. 

"Oh,  those  little  things  are  dead  easy,"  assured 
Frank,  with  a  laugh.  "Do  you  really  desire  to  see  me 
do  something  that  is  worth  doing?" 

"What  more  white  boy  can  do?" 


Trick  Riding.  169 

"Several  things,  but  I'll  have  to  make  a  larger 
circle." 

It  was  growing  dark  swiftly  now,  the  sun  being 
down  and  the  shadows  of  the  mountains  lying  dark 
and  gloomy  in  the  valleys. 

"Go  'head,"  directed  Black  Feather. 

Frank  started  the  bicycle  in  motion,  and  then,  with 
it  going  at  good  speed,  he  swung  down  on  one  side 
and  slowly  but  neatly  crept  through  the  frame,  com- 
ing up  on  the  other  side  and  regaining  the  saddle  with- 
out stopping. 

"Paleface  boy  great  medicine!"  said  Black  Feather. 

"Ugh !"  grunted  all  the  Indians  but  Blue  Wolf. 

The  little  savage  was  looking  on  in  a  sullen,  won- 
dering way,  astonished  and  angered  to  think  the  white 
boy  could  do  all  those  things,  while  he  had  been  unable 
to  mount  the  two-wheeled  horse. 

"How  do  you  like  that,  Black  Feather?"  asked 
Frank,  cheerfully. 

"Much  big!"  confessed  the  chief.    "Do  some  more." 

"All  right.    Catch  onto  this." 

Then  away  Frank  sped,  lifting  the  forward  wheel 
from  the  ground  and  letting  it  hang  suspended  in  the 
air,  while  he  rode  along  on  the  rear  wheel. 


170  Trick  Riding. 

"Merry  is  working  hard  enough,"  said  RattletoiL 
"I  never  knew  he  could  do  so  many  tricks." 

"There  are  lots  of  things  about  that  fellow  that  none 
of  us  know  anything  about,"  asserted  Browning,  who 
was  no  less  surprised,  although  he  did  not  show  it. 

"He  is  a  fool  to  work  so  hard  to  please  these 
wretched  savages!"  muttered  Diamond. 

"Now,  don't  you  take  Frank  Merriwell  for  a  fool  in 
anything!"  came  swiftly  from  Harry.  "I  never  knew 
him  to  make  a  fool  of  himself  in  all  my  life,  and  I  have 
seen  a  good  deal  of  him." 

"Well,  why  is  he  cutting  up  all  those  monkey  tricks  ? 
What  will  it  amount  to  when  it  is  all  over?" 

"Wait  and  see." 

"The  Indians  will  treat  us  just  the  same  as  if  he  had 
not  done  those  things." 

"Perhaps  so." 

"Of  course  they  will!" 

"Now,  Black  Feather,  old  jiblets,"  cried  Frank,  in 
his  merriest  manner,  "I  am  going  to  do  something 
else.  Get  onto  this." 

Sending  the  bicycle  along  at  high  speed  Frank  lay 
over  the  handlebars  and  swung  his  feet  into  the  air 


Trick  Riding.  171 

till  he  held  himself  suspended  in  that  manner,  head 
down  and  feet  up. 

The  Indians  were  more  pleased  and  astonished  than 
ever. 

"Oh,  it's  all  in  knowing  how!"  laughed  Frank,  as 
he  gracefully  and  lightly  dropped  back  to  the  saddle. 

Again  the  Indians  grunted. 

"Now,  Black  Feather,  old  chappie,"  said  Frank,  "I 
am  going  to  do  the  greatest  trick  of  all.  I'll  have  to 
get  a  big  start  and  have  lots  of  room.  Watch  me 
close." 

Away  -he  went,  bending  over  the  handlebars  and 
sending  the  bicycle  flying  over  the  ground.  He  acted 
as  if  he  intended  to  make  a  big  circle,  but  suddenly 
turned  and  rode  straight  toward  the  pass  by  which 
they  had  entered  the  basin.  Before  the  Indians  could 
realize  his  intention,  he  was  almost  out  of  sight  in  the 
darkness  of  the  young  night. 

Howls  of  rage  and  dismay  broke  from  the  redmen. 
They  shouted  after  the  boy,  but  he  kept  right  on, 
quickly  disappearing  from  view. 

"There,"  sighed  Browning,  with  satisfaction,  "I 
told  you  he  was  not  doing  all  that  work  for  nothing, 
fellows." 


172  Trick  Riding. 

"He's  done  gone  an'  lef  us!"  wailed  Toots. 

"That's  what  he  has!"  grated  Diamond— "left  us 
to  the  mercy  of  these  miserable  redskins!  That's  a 
fine  trick !" 

"Oh,  will  you  ever  get  over  it?"  rasped  Rattleton. 
"Why  shouldn't  he?  He  had  his  chance,  and  he'd 
been  a  fool  not  to  skin  out!" 

"I  thought  he  would  stand  by  us  in  such  a  scrape 
as  this." 

"What  you  thought  doesn't  cut  any  ice.  He'll  come 
back." 

"After  we  are  murdered." 

Rattleton  would  have  said  something  more,  but  the 
Indians,  who  had  been  holding  an  excited  conversa- 
tion, suddenly  grasped  the  four  remaining  lads  in  a 
threatening  manner. 

"Oh,  mah  goodness!"  palpitated  Toots.  "Heah  is 
whar  I's  gwan  teh  lose  mah  wool !  It  am  feelin'  po'er- 
ful  loose  already!" 

Browning  was  on  the  point  of  launching  out  with  his 
heavy  fists  and  making  as  good  battle  of  it  as  he  could 
when  he  heard  Black  Feather  say : 

"No  hurt  white  boys.  Make  um  keep  still,  so  um 
not  run  'way  off  like  odder  white  boy.  That  am  all." 


Trick  Riding.  173 

"I'll  take  chances  on  it,"  muttered  Bruce,  giving  up 
quietly. 

The  four  lads  were  forced  to  sit  on  the  ground,  and 
some  of  the  savages  squatted  near.  The  fire  was  re- 
plenished, and  the  Indians  seemed  to  hold  a  council. 

"Deciding  how  they  will  kill  us,"  said  Diamond, 
gloomily. 

"Nothing  of  the  sort,"  declared  Rattleton.  "See 
them  making  motions  toward  the  bicycles.  They  are 
talking  about  the  wonderful  two-wheeled  horses." 

"Gracious !"  gasped  Toots ;  "dat  meks  mah  hair  feel 
easier !" 

Browning  held  a  hand  on  his  stomach  in  a  pathetic 
manner. 

"Oh,  my !"  he  murmured.  "How  vacant  and  lonely 
my  interior  department  seems  to  be!  Methinks  I 
could  dine." 

"The  hard  bread  and  jerked  beef,"  whispered  Jack. 
"It  is  in  the  carriers  attached  to  the  wheels." 
"Yes,  and  we  had  better  let  it  remain  there." 
"Why?" 

"These  Indians  look  hungry,  too." 
"You  think " 


174  Trick  Riding. 

"I  do.  They  will  take  it  away  from  us  and  eat  it  if 
we  bring  it  out.  That  would  leave  us  in  a  bad  fix." 

"But  they  can  get  it  out  of  the  carriers." 

"They  can,  but  they  won't." 

"Why  not?" 

"They  are  afraid  of  those  bicycles — so  afraid  that 
they  will  not  go  near  them.  Therefore  our  hard  bread 
and  jerked  beef  is  safe  as  long  as  we  let  it  remain  where 
it  is." 

Harry  agreed  with  Bruce,  and  they  decided  not  to 
touch  the  food  in  the  carriers;  but  all  were  thirsty 
again,  and  they  expressed  a  desire  to  have  another 
drink  from  the  water-hole. 

To  this  the  Indians  did  not  object,  and  they  took 
turns  at  drinking,  although  the  water  did  not  taste 
nearly  as  sweet  as  it  had  the  first  time. 

Having  satisfied  themselves  in  this  manner  they  sat 
down  on  the  ground  once  more,  being  compelled  to  do 
so  by  the  redskins,  who  were  watching  them  closely. 

"They  have  us  in  a  bad  position  in  case  they  take 
a  notion  to  crack  us  over  the  head,"  said  Harry.  "We 
wouldn't  get  a  show." 

"Mah  gracious!"  gurgled  Toots,  holding  fast  to  his 


Trick  Riding.  175 

scalp  with  both  hands.  "We's  gwan  teh  git  it  fo'  suah, 
chilluns !  De  fus'  fing  we  know  we  won't  no  nuffin' !" 

"We  must  get  out  of  this  somehow,"  muttered 
Bruce. 

"That's  right,"  nodded  Jack.  "Merriwell  has  taken 
care  of  himself,  and  left  us  to  take  care  of  ourselves." 

He  spoke  in  a  manner  that  showed  he  felt  that  Frank 
had  done  them  a  great  wrong. 

"It's  a  good  thing  he  got  away  as  he  did,"  asserted 
Harry.  "Now  we  know  we  have  a  friend  who  is 
not  a  captive  like  ourselves,  and  we  know  he  knows 
the  fix  we  are  in.  You  may  be  sure  he  will  do  what  he 
can  for  us." 

"He'll  do  what  he  can  for  himself.  How  can  he 
do  anything  for  us  ?" 

"He'll  find  a  way." 

"I  doubt  it." 

"You  have  become  a  great  doubter  and  kicker  of 
late,  Diamond.  It  is  certain  the  loss  of  that  Mormon 
girl  who  married  the  other  fellow  has  soured  you,  for 
you  were  not  this  way  before.  Why  don't  you  try 
to  forget  her  ?" 

"I  wish  you  might  forget  her!  You  make  me  sick 
talking  about  her  so  much !  I  don't  like  it  at  all !" 


176  Trick  Riding. 

"If  you  don't  like  it  lump  it." 

Jack  and  Harry  glared  at  each  other  as  if  they  were 
on  the  point  of  coming  to  blows,  and  this  gave  Brown- 
ing an  idea.  He  saw  the  Indians  had  noticed  there 
was  a  disagreement  between  the  boys,  and  he  leaned 
forward,  saying  in  a  low  tone: 

"Keep  at  it,  fellows — keep  at  it!  I  have  a  scheme. 
Pretend  you  are  fighting,  and  they  will  let  you  get 
on  your  feet.  When  I  cry  ready  we'll  all  make  a  jump 
for  our  wheels,  catch  them  up,  place  them  in  the  form 
of  a  square,  and  stand  within  the  square.  The  red- 
skins are  afraid  of  the  wheels — think  them  'bad  med- 
icine.' They  won't  dare  touch  us." 

Browning  had  made  his  idea  clear  with  surprising 
swiftness,  and  the  other  boys  were  astonished,  for  they 
had  come  to  believe  that  the  big  fellow  never  had  an 
original  idea  in  his  head. 

Both  Jack  and  Harry  were  taken  by  the  scheme,  and 
Diamond  quickly  said: 

"It's  a  go.     Keep  on  with  the  quarrel,  Rattleton." 

Harry  did  so,  and  in  a  very  few  seconds  they  were 
at  it  in  a  manner  that  seemed  intensely  in  earnest. 
(Their  voices  rose  higher  and  higher,  and  they  scowled 


Trick  Riding.  177 

fiercely,  flourishing  their  clinched  hands  in  the  air  and 
shaking  them  under  each  other's  nose. 

Browning  got  into  the  game  by  making  a  bluff  at 
stopping  the  quarrel,  which  seemed  to  be  quite  inef- 
fectual. He  seemed  to  try  to  force  himself  between 
them,  but  Rattleton  hit  him  a  hard  crack  on  the  jaw 
with  his  fist,  with  which  he  was  threatening  Diamond. 

"Scissors !"  gurgled  Bruce,  as  he  keeled  over  on  his 
back,  holding  both  hands  to  his  jaw.  "What  do  you 
take  me  for — a  punching  bag?" 

"You  have  received  what  peacemakers  usually  get," 
said  Harry,  as  he  continued  to  threaten  Diamond. 

The  Indians  looked  on  complacently,  their  appear- 
ance seeming  to  indicate  that  they  were  mildly  inter- 
ested, but  did  not  care  a  continental  if  the  two  white 
boys  hammered  each  other. 

Jack  scrambled  to  his  feet  and  dared  Harry  to  get 
up.  Harry  declared  he  would  not  take  a  dare,  and  he 
got  up,  Then  Bruce  and  Toots  lost  no  time  in  doing 
likewise,  and,  just  when  it  seemed  that  the  apparently 
angry  lads  were  going  to  begin  hammering  each  other 
Browning  cried: 

"Ready!" 

Immediately  the  boys  made  a  leap  for  the  bicycles, 


1 78  Trick  Riding. 

caught  them  up,  formed  a  square  with  them,  and  stood 
behind  the  machines,  like  soldiers  within  a  fort. 

The  Indians  uttered  shouts  of  astonishment,  and 
the  four  boys  found  themselves  looking  into  the  muz- 
zles of  the  guns  in  the  hands  of  the  savages. 

"What  white  boys  mean  to  do?"  harshly  demanded 
Black  Feather.  "No  can  run  away." 

"Heap  shoot  urn!"  howled  Blue  Wolf,  who  seemed 
eager  to  slaughter  the  captives.  "Then  no  can  run 
away." 

"Hold  on !"  ordered  Browning,  with  a  calm  wave  of 
his  hand.  "We  want  to  parley." 

"Want  to  pow-wow?"  asked  Black  Feather. 
"That's  it." 

"No  pow-wow  with  white  boys.  White  boys  In- 
juns' prisoners.  No  pow-wow  with  prisoners." 

"No !"  shouted  Blue  Wolf.    "Shoot  urn !  shoot  um !" 

"Land  ob  massy!"  gurgled  Toots.  "Dey  am  gwan 
teh  shoot !" 

"Black  Feather,"  said  Browning,  with  assumed  as- 
surance and  dignity,  "it  will  not  be  a  healthy  thing  for 
your  men  to  shoot  us." 

"How?  how?" 


Trick  Riding.  179 

'Do  you  see  that  we  are  protected  by  the  'bad 
medicine'  machines  ?  If  you  were  to  do  us  harm  now, 
these  machines  would  utterly  destroy  you  and  every 
one  of  your  party.  The  moment  you  fired  at  us  these 
machines  would  be  like  so  many  demons  let  loose,  and 
as  they  are  not  made  of  flesh  and  blood,  they  could 
not  be  harmed.  Not  one  of  your  party  could  escape 
them." 

The  light  of  the  fire  showed  that  the  Indians  looked 
at  each  other  with  mingled  incredulity  and  fear. 

"Wow!"  muttered  Rattleton.  "Is  this  Browning  I 
hear?  How  did  you  happen  to  think  of  such  a  bluff?" 

"Have  to  think  in  a  case  like  this,"  returned  the  big 
fellow,  guardedly.  "I  think  only  when  it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary.  This  is  one  of  those  occasions." 

The  Indians  got  together  and  held  a  consultation. 

"Can't  we  make  a  run  for  it  now  ?"  asked  Diamond, 
eagerly. 

"We  can,"  nodded  Bruce,  "but  we  won't  run  far. 
They'd  be  able  to  drop  us  before  we  could  get  out 
of  the  light  of  the  fire." 

"What  can  we  do?" 


i8o  Trick  Riding. 

"Why,  we'll  have  to " 

Browning  was  interrupted  by  a  clatter  of  hoofs, 
which  caused  him  to  turn  toward  the  East.  The  In- 
dians heard  the  sound,  and  they  turned  also. 

Then  wild  yells  of  terror  rent  the  air. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

ESCAPE. 

Coming  through  the  darkness  at  a  mad  gallop  was 
what  seemed  to  be  the  gleaming  skeleton  of  a  horse. 
The  ribs,  the  bones  of  the  neck,  legs  and  head,  all 
showed  plainly,  glowing  with  a  white  light. 

And  on  the  back  of  the  horse,,  which  had  sheered  to 
the  north  and  was  passing  the  fire,  sat  what  seemed 
to  be  the  skeleton  of  a  human  being,  the  bones  gleam- 
ing the  same  as  those  of  the  horse. 

It  was  almost  an  astonishing  and  awe-inspiring 
spectacle,  and  it  frightened  the  Indians  greatly. 

"Howugh — owugh — owugh!"  wailed  Black  Feath- 
er, dismally. 

Then  the  savages  dropped  on  their  faces,  covering 
their  eyes,  so  they  could  not  see  the  skeleton  horseman. 

Almost  at  the  same  moment  as  the  horseman  was 
passing  the  spot  the  ghastly  appearing  thing  seemed 
to  give  a  sudden  swing  about  and  completely  disappear. 

"Poly  hoker!"  gasped  Rattleton.     "It's  gone!" 


1 82  Escape. 

"That's  right!"  palpitated  Diamond — "vanished  in 
a  moment!" 

"Oh,  mah  soul — mah  soul!"  wailed  Toots.  "Dat 
sholy  am  de  ol'  debbil  hisse'f,  chiiluns!  When  we  see 
it  next  it's  gwan  teh  hab  one  ob  us  fo  sho!" 

"Hark!"  commanded  Browning. 

The  beat  of  the  horse's  feet  could  be  distinctly  heard, 
but  the  creature  had  turned  about  and  was  going  back 
toward  the  pass  through  the  bluffs. 

Chucker-chucker  -  chuck !  chucker  -  chucker  -  chuck ! 
chucker-chucker-chuck !  came  the  ghostly  sounds  of  the 
galloping  horse. 

"It's  turned  about !"  gasped  Harry,  in  astonishment 

"It's  going!"  fluttered  Jack. 

"And  we'd  better  be  going,  too !"  put  in  Browning. 

Then  with  a  familiar  whirring  sound  something 
came  flying  toward  them  through  the  darkness,  causing 
Toots  to  utter  a  wild  shriek  of  terror. 

Into  the  light  of  the  camp-fire  flashed  a  boy  who 
was  mounted  on  a  bicycle,  and  they  saw  it  was  Frank 
Merriwell. 

"Away!"  he  hissed,  as  he  flew  past  them.  "Make 
straight  for  the  pass  by  which  we  entered  this  pocket. 
I  will  join  you." 


Escape.  183 

Then  he  was  gone 

Browning  gave  Toots  a  sharp  shake,  fiercely  whis- 
pering : 

"Mount  your  wheel  and  keep  with  us  if  you  want  to 
save  your  scalp !  If  you  don't  you  will  be  left  behind." 

Then  the  boys  leaped  upon  their  bicycles  and  were 
away  in  a  moment,  before  the  prostrate  Indians  had 
recovered  from  the  shock  of  terror  given  them  by  the 
appearance  of  the  skeleton  horse  and  rider. 

For  the  time  Bruce  Browning  took  the  lead,  and  the 
others  followed  him.  Toots  had  heeded  the  big  fel- 
low's warning  words,  and  he  was  not  left  behind. 

Barely  had  they  passed  beyond  the  range  of  the  fire- 
light and  disappeared  in  the  darkness  when  wild  yells 
of  anger  came  from  behind  them,  and  they  knew  the 
Indians  had  discovered  they  were  gone. 

"Bend  low!  bend  low!"  hissed  Diamond.  "They 
may  take  a  fancy  to  shoot  after  us !  Stoop,  fellows !" 

Stoop  they  did,  bending  low  over  the  handlebars  of 
their  bicycles. 

Bang!  bang!  bang! 

The  Indians  fired  several  shots,  and  they  heard  some 
of  the  bullets  whistle  past,  but  they  were  not  hit. 


184  Escape. 

"Well,  that's  what  I  call  luck !"  muttered  the  young 
Virginian. 

"What  do  you  call  luck?"  asked  Rattleton. 

"The  appearance  of  that  skeleton  horse  and  rider  in 
time  to  scare  the  Indians  and  give  us  a  chance  to  get 
away." 

"Oh!"  said  Harry,  sarcastically,  "I  didn't  know  but 
it  was  Merry's  return.  I  told  you  he  would  not  desert 
us." 

"I  wonder  how  he  happened  to  come  back  just 
then?" 

"He  came  back  because  he  was  watching  for  an  op- 
portunity to  help  us,  and  he  saw  we  had  a  splendid 
chance  to  get  away  while  the  redskins  were  scared  by 
the  appearance  of  the  horse  and  rider.  You  ought  to 
know  him  well  enough  to  know  he  is  not  the  fellow  to 
desert  his  friends  in  a  scrape  like  this." 

Diamond  was  silent. 

"I  wonder  where  Frank  is?"  said  Browning.  "He 
said  he  would  join  us,  and  he  is " 

"Right  here,  old  man,"  said  a  cheerful  voice,  as  a 
flying  bicycle  brought  Merriwell  out  of  the  darkness 
to  Browning's  side.  "This  way,  fellows!  We'll  hit 
the  pass  and  get  out  of  here  as  soon  as  we  can." 


Escape.  185 

"Lawd  bress  yeh,  Marser  Frank!"  cried  Toots,  joy- 
fully. "I  didn't  know's  I'd  see  yeh  no  mo',  boy!" 

"I  hope  you  didn't  think  I  had  left  you  for  good  ?" 

"No,  sar !"  declared  the  colored  boy.  "I  done  knows 
yeh  better  dan  dat,  sar!  I  knowed  yeh'd  come  back, 
but  I  was  afeared  yeh'd  come  back  too  late,  sar.  Dem 
Injunses  was  gittin'  po'erful  anxious  fo'  dis  yar  wool 
ob  mine — yes,  sar !" 

"Well,  I  am  glad  to  know  you  thought  I  would  not 
desert  you.  I  don't  want  any  of  my  friends  to  think  I 
would  go  back  on  them  in  the  hour  of  need." 

Diamond  was  silent. 

The  pass  was  found  without  difficulty,  and  they  went 
speeding  through  it. 

"How  did  you  happen  to  turn  up  just  then,  Frank?" 
asked  Harry. 

"I  was  waiting  for  a  chance  to  come  to  you,  and  I 
saw  the  chance  when  that  horse  and  rider  frightened 
the  Indians." 

"The  horse  and  rider — where  are  they?"  asked 
Browning. 

"Gone  through  the  pass  ahead  of  us." 

"Mah  gracious!"  exclaimed  the  colored  boy. 
"What  if  dat  olf  debbil  teks  a  noshun  teh  wait  fu'  us?" 


1 86  Escape. 

"What  sort  of  ghost  business  was  it,  anyway  ?"  ques- 
tioned Rattleton.  "It  seemed  to  be  a  skeleton  horse 
and  a  skeleton  rider,  and  it  disappeared  in  a  twinkling. 
I  will  admit  this  skeleton  business  is  beginning  to 
work  on  my  nerves." 

"It  is  rather  creepish,"  laughed  Frank ;  "but  I  do  not 
think  it  is  very  dangerous." 

"All  the  same,  you  do  not  attempt  to  explain  the 
mystery." 

"Not  now." 

"Not  now?     Can  you  later?" 

"Perhaps  so." 

"It  is  plain  he  knows  no  more  about  it  than  the  rest 
of  us,"  said  Diamond.  "As  for  me,  I  am  getting  sick 
of  seeking  vanishing  lakes  and  vanishing  skeletons.  If 
I  get  out  of  this  part  of  the  country  alive,  you'll  never 
catch  me  here  again." 

"Meh,  too!"  exclaimed  Toots. 

"Well.  I  don't  know  as  any  of  us  will  care  to  revisit 
it,"  laughed  Frank.  "Anyway,  we  have  been  very 
lucky  in  escaping  from  those  Indians.  That  you  can't 
deny." 

"You  fooled  them  easily,"  said  Rattleton. 

"Yes,  and  they  did  not  even  take  a  shot  at  me,  whid 


Escape.  187 

was  a  surprise.  I  expected  they  would  pop  away  a 
few  times." 

"What  are  we  going  to  do  after  we  get  out  on  the 
open  desert  again?"  asked  Jack.  "It  seems  to  me  we'll 
be  as  bad  off  as  ever." 

"We'll  have  to  go  around  the  range  to  the  south, 
or  wait  for  the  Indians  to  get  away  from  that  water- 
hole,  so  we  can  go  through  the  mountains  as  we  orig- 
inally intended." 

"The  Indians  may  not  go  away." 

'I  rather  think  they  have  been  scared  so  they'll  not 
hang  around  there  long.  I  don't  fancy  they'll  be  any- 
where in  the  vicinity  by  morning." 

"If  they  are  gone " 

"We'll  be  all  right,  providing  we  can  make  our  Tiard 
bread  and  dried  beef  hold  out  till  we  can  reach  one  of 
the  small  railroad  towns." 

"How  far  away  is  the  railroad  ?" 

"Not  much  over  fifty  miles." 

"That  is  easy !"  declared  Rattleton.  "We  can  make 
it  on  a  spurt!" 

As  they  reached  the  eastern  opening  of  the  pass  their 
attention  was  attracted  by  a  bright  light  that  seemed  to 


1 88  Escape. 

shine  out  from  the  very  niche  where  they  had  found 
the  jewel-decorated  skeleton. 

"What  does  that  mean?"  exclaimed  Jack,  in  aston- 
ishment. 

"Land  ob  wartermillions !"  gasped  Toots.  "It  am 
de  debbil's  light  fo'  suah,  chilluns !  Don'  yeh  go  near 
it!" 

"By  Jove!"  cried  Frank.  "That  is  worth  investi- 
gating! Come  on,  fellows!" 

He  headed  straight  toward  the  light,  and  as  they 
came  near  the  niche  they  saw  the  be  jeweled  skeleton 
was  again  seated  as  they  had  seen  it  in  the  first  place, 
and  a  bright  flood  of  light  was  shining  upon  it  from 
some  mysterious  place. 

"It's  back!"  exclaimed  Harry,  in  astonishment. 

"Sure  enough!"  said  Frank.     "It  is  on  deck  again." 

"I  tells  yeh  to  keep  away  from  dat  skillerton!" 
shouted  Toots.  "Hit  am  gwan  teh  grab  yo'  this  time 
if  yo'  gits  near  hit!" 

"We'll  take  chances  on  that,"  declared  Frank.  "This 
time  we  won't  give  it  time  to  get  away,  but  we'll  go 
right  up  and  examine  it." 

"That's  what  we  will!"  agreed  Harry. 

But  even  as  he  spoke,  the  light  disappeared,  and  this 


Escape.  189 

made  it  impossible  for  them  to  see  anything  up  there 
in  that  dark  nook. 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!" 

Again  they  heard  the  mocking  laughter,  smothered, 
hollow  and  ghostly  in  sound. 

"Somebody  is  having  lots  of  fun  with  us,"  said 
Frank,  as  he  leaped  from  his  wheel.  "It  may  be  a 
good  joke,  but  I  fail  to  see  where  the  'ha,  ha,'  comes 
in." 

"Is  the  skeleton  gone?" 

"I  don't  know,  but  I'll  mighty  soon  find  out." 

Without  hesitation  he  swung  himself  up  to  the  niche 

in  the  rocks,  and  Rattleton  followed,  determined  that 

Frank  should  not  go  alone  into  danger. 

Harry  afterward  confessed  that  he  was  shivering  all 
over  when  he  climbed  up  there  in  the  darkness,  but 
his  fear  did  not  keep  him  from  sticking  to  Merry. 

A  cry  broke  from  Frank's  lips. 

"What  is  it?"  called  Browning,  from  below. 

"By  the  eternal  skies,  it's  gone  again!" 

"Didn't  I  tole  yeh!"  cried  Toots,  from  a  distance, 
"Come  erway  from  dar,  Marser  Frank!  If  yo'  don', 
yo's  gwan  teh  be  grabbed !" 


190  Escape. 

"It  is  gone!"  agreed  Rattleton.  "This  beats  the  Old 
Nick!" 

Again  they  heard  that  mocking  laugh,  which  seemed 
to  come  down  from  some  point  above  their  heads. 

"Wooh!"  shivered  Harry.  "That  sounds  pleas- 
ant!" 

"Hang  it  all !"  exclaimed  Frank,  in  a  voice  that  in- 
dicated chagrin.  "I  don't  like  to  be  made  fun  of  this 
way!  If  we  don't  solve  this  mystery  before  we  go 
away  I  shall  always  regret  it." 

"Beware!" 

It  was  the  same  voice  that  had  uttered  the  warning 
when  they  were  riding  into  the  pass,  and  now,  in  the 
darkness  of  night,  it  sounded  even  more  dismal  and  un- 
canny than  before. 

"Come  out  and  show  yourself,"  called  Frank. 

For  some  time  the  boys  remained  there,  but  they 
were  forced  to  abandon  the  task  of  solving  the  mys- 
tery that  night.  Frank  descended  to  the  ground  with 
no  small  reluctance,  and  Harry  kept  close  to  him. 
They  mounted  their  wrheels  and  rode  away  once  more, 
fully  expecting  to  hear  the  mocking  laughter,  or  the 
ghostly  voice  calling  after  them.  In  this,  however, 


Escape.  191 

they  were  disappointed,  as  nothing  of  the  kind  hap- 
pened. 

After  they  had  ridden  some  distance,  Frank  pro- 
posed that  they  halt  for  the  night. 

"We  are  in  for  an  open-air  camp  to-night,"  he  said. 
"It  is  something  we  did  not  expect,  but  it  can't  be 
helped,  and  as  the  night  is  not  cold  I  think  we  can  get 
along  all  right.  We  need  rest,  too." 

"That's  right,"  agreed  Bruce.  "I  feel  as  if  I  need 
about  a  week  of  steady  resting,  but  I  don't  care  to 
take  it  here." 

"How  about  the  Indians?"  asked  Jack.  "We  are 
not  very  far  from  them,  and  they  might  find  us." 

"I  scarcely  think  there  is  any  danger  of  that." 

"Why  not?" 

"Those  redskins  were  so  badly  frightened  that 
they'll  not  go  hunting  after  white  boys  to-night.  It  is 
more  likely  they  will  skin  out  and  make  for  the  Sho- 
shone  Reservation,  on  which  they  must  belong." 

"But  what  if  they  should  happen  to  follow  us?"  Jack 
persisted. 

"We  must  take  turns  at  standing  guard  to-night,  and 
the  guard  should  be  able  to  give  us  warning  of  danger 
in  time  for  us  to  mount  our  wheels  and  get  away." 


192  Escape. 

It  was  plain  that  Diamond  was  not  in  favor  of  stop- 
ping there,  but  he  said  no  more. 

Fortunately  the  night  was  warm,  so  they  suffered  no 
discomfort  by  sleeping  thus.  No  dew  fell  out  there 
on  the  desert 

It  was  arranged  that  Diamond  should  stand  guard 
first,  while  Frank  came  second,  with  Toots  for  the  last 
guard  toward  morning. 

They  ate  some  of  the  hard  bread  and  jerked  beef  and 
then  threw  themselves  down,  with  their  bicycles  near 
at  hand,  so  they  could  spring  up  and  mount  in  a  hurry 
if  necessary. 

Browning  was  the  first  to  stretch  himself  on  the 
ground,  and  he  was  snoring  almost  immediately.  The 
others  soon  fell  asleep. 

The  rim  of  a  round,  red  moon  was  showing  away  to 
the  eastward  when  Jack  awoke  Frank. 

"How  is  it?"  Merriwell  asked.  "Have  you  heard 
or  seen  anything  suspicious?" 

"Not  a  thing,"  was  the  reply.  "All  is  still  as  death 
out  here — far  too  still.  I  don't  like  it." 

"Well,  it  is  not  real  jolly,"  confessed  Frank,  with  a 
light  laugh ;  "but  I  don't  think  we  need  to  be  worried 
about  visitors,  and  that  is  one  good  thing." 


Escape.  193 

Jack  was  fast  asleep  in  a  short  time. 

Morning  came,  and  Toots  was  the  first  to  awaken. 
Dawn  was  breaking  in  the  east  as  he  sat  up,  rubbing 
his  eyes  and  muttering: 

"Good  land!  dat  am  de  hardes'  spring  mattrus  dis 
coon  ebber  snoozed  on — yes,  sar!  Nebber  struck  nuf- 
fin'  lek  dat  befo'." 

Then  he  looked  around  in  some  surprise. 

"Gracious  sakes!"  he  continued.  "Whar  am  de 
hotel  ?  It  done  moved  away  in  de  night  an'  lef '  us." 

It  was  some  time  before  he  realized  that  they  had  not 
put  up  at  a  hotel  the  night  before. 

"Reckum  dis  is  whar  we  stopped  las'  night,"  he 
finally  said.  "I  'membah  'bout  dat  now.  We  was  ter 
tek  turns  watchin'.  I  ain't  took  no  turn  at  all,  an*  it's 
wamnin'.  He!  he!  he!  Guess  de  ohap  dat  was  ter 
wake  me  fell  asleep  hisself  an'  clean  fergot  it.  Dat 
icks  meh  'bout  so  much  sleep  ah'aid  ob  de  game." 

He  was  feeling  good  over  this  when  he  noticed  that 
three  forms  were  stretched  on  the  ground  near  at  hand, 
i  stead  of  four. 

"Whar  am  de  odder  one?"  he  muttered.  "One  ob 
dem  boys  am  gone  fo'  suah.  Land  ob  wartermillions ! 
What  do  hit  mean  ?  Dar  am  Dimun,  an'  dar  am  Rat- 


194  Escape. 

tletum,  an'  dar  am  Brownin',  but  whar — whar  am  Mar- 
ser  Frank?" 

In  a  moment  he  was  filled  with  alarm,  and  he  lost  no 
time  in  grasping  Harry's  shoulder  and  giving  it  a 
shake,  while  he  cried : 

" Wek  up  heah,  yo'  sleepy  haid — wek  up,  I  tells  yeh ! 
Dar's  suffin'  wrong  heah,  ur  I's  a  fool  nigger!" 

"Muts  the  whatter?"  mumbled  Rattleton,  sleepily. 
"Can't  you  let  a  fellow  sleep  a  minute?  It  isn't  my 
turn  yet." 

"Yoah  turn!"  shouted  Toots.  "Wek  up,  yo'  fool! 
It's  done  come  mawnin',  an'  dar's  suffin'  happened." 

"Eh?"  grunted  Harry,  starting  up  and  rubbing  his 
eyes.  "Why  the  moon  is  just  rising." 

"Moon!"  snorted  the  colored  boy.  "Dat's  de  sun 
comin'  up!  An'  I  don't  beliebe  yo'  took  yoah  turn 
keepin'  watch." 

Browning  grunted  and  rolled  over,  flinging  out  one 
arm  and  giving  Toots  a  crack  on  the  neck  that  keeled 
him  over  on  the  ground. 

"Landy  goodness!"  squealed  the  darky,  grasping 
his  neck  with  both  hands.  "What  yo'  tryin*  ter  do, 
boy?  Want  ter  kill  a  po'  coon?  Nebber  seen  such 
car'less  pusson  as  yo'  am,  sar!" 


Escape. 


195 


'Oh,  shut  up  your  racket !"  growled  the  big  college 
lad.  "I'm  not  half  rested  yet.  Call  me  when  break- 
fast is  ready." 

"Yo'll  done  git  yeh  own  breakfas'  dis  mawnin',  sar; 
but  befo'  dar's  any  breakfas'  we's  gwan  ter  know  what 
has  become  of  Marser  Frank.  He's  gone." 

"Gone?"  replied  Bruce,  sitting  up  with  remarkable 
quickness. 

"Gone?"  ejaculated  Harry,  popping  up  as  if  he  were 
worked  by  springs. 

'Gone  where  ?"  asked  Diamond,  also  sitting  up  and 
staring  around. 

'Dat's  jes'  what  I  wants  ter  know,  chilluns,"  de- 
lared  Toots.  "Dat  boy  ain't  heah,  an'  Ts  powerful 
feared  de  old  skillerton  debbil  has  cotched  him." 

'Why — why,"  said  Jack,  "I  woke  him  and  -he  took 
my  place." 

'But  nobody  roused  me,"  declared  Rattleton. 

'Nor  me,"  asserted  Browning. 

'Git  up,  chilluns — git  up !"  squealed  Toots,  excitedly. 
"We's  gotter  find  dat  boy  in  a  hurry !  'Spect  he's  in  a 
berry  bad  scrape!" 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE   MYSTERY   EXPLAINED. 

By  this  time  the  boys  were  fully  aroused.  An  in- 
vestigation showed  that  Merriwell's  wheel  was  gone. 

"Didn't  I  tole  yeh  old  debbil  skillerton  would  done 
cotch  some  ob  us !"  cried  Toots,  in  great  distress. 

"I  hardly  understand  what  the  skeleton  could  have 
wanted  with  Merry's  wheel,"  observed  Browning, 

"G'way  dar,  boy !  Didn'  de  skillerton  ride  a  hawse !" 

"And  you  think  it  is  an  up-to-date  skeleton  that  has 
decided  to  ride  a  bicycle  hereafter.  In  that  case,  I  con- 
gratulate Mr.  Skeleton  on  his  good  sense." 

"It  must  be  that  Frank  has  gone  on  a  ride  without 
saying  anything-  to  us,"  said  Jack.  "I  do  not  see  any 
other  way  of  explaining  it." 

"But  why  should  he  do  such  a  thing?"  asked  Rat- 
tleton. 

"That  is  where  you  stick  me." 

Browning  slowly  shook  his  head. 

"It  is  remarkable  that  he  should  do  such  a  thing 


The  Mystery  Explained.  197 

without  saying  anything  to  us,"  declared  the  big  fel- 
low. 

"And  he  must  have  taken  that  ride  in  the  night," 
said  Jack. 

"While  he  should  have  been  on  guard,"  added 
Harry. 

The  boys  stood  looking  at  each  other  in  sober 
dismay. 

"It  isn't  possible  that  Merry  could  have  gone  daffy," 
muttered  Rattleton.  "He  is  too  well  balanced  for 
that." 

"I  don't  know,"  came  gloomily  from  Diamond. 
"This  dismal,  burning  desert  is  enough  to  turn  the 
brain  of  any  fellow." 

"Yah!"  cried  Toots.  "Don'  yeh  git  no  noshun  dat 
boy  ebber  had  his  brain  turned !  It  am  de  weak  brains 
dat  git  turned  dat  way.  His  brain  was  all  right,  but  I 
jes'  know  fo'  suah  dat  he  hab  been  cotched." 

"And  I  suppose  you  want  to  run  away  as  soon  as 
possible  before  you  are  'cotched  ?' ' 

Then  the  colored  boy  surprised  them  all  by  saying: 

"No,  sar,  I  don'  want  teh  go  'way  till  we  knows 
what  hab  become  ob  Marser  Frank.  Dat  boy  alwus 


198  The  Mystery  Explained. 

stick  by  his  frien's,  an'  dis  coon  am  reddy  teh  stick  by 
him,  even  if  he  do  git  cotched." 

"Good  stuff,  Toots!"  cried  Rattleton,  approvingly. 
"You  are  all  right!  If  anything  has  happened  to 
Frank  we'll  know  what  it  is  or  leave  our  bones  here." 

The  boys  were  worried.  They  hurriedly  talked  over 
the  remarkable  disappearance,  trying  to  arrive  at  an 
understanding  of  its  meaning. 

At  length  it  was  agreed  that  Frank  might  have  gone 
back  to  try  to  solve  the  mystery  of  the  skeleton,  and 
then  they  decided  that  two  of  the  party  should  remain 
where  they  had  made  their  night  bivouac,  while  the 
other  two  proceeded  to  search  for  Merriwell. 

Diamond  insisted  on  being  one  of  the  searchers, 
and  Rattleton  was  determined  to  be  the  other,  so 
Browning  and  Toots  were  left  behind. 

The  boys  mounted  their  wheels  and  rode  back 
toward  the  pass  through  the  bluffs. 

Diamond  was  downcast  again. 

"Everything  is  going  against  us,"  he  declared. 
"There  is  fate  in  it.  I  am  afraid  we'll  not  get  out  of 
this  wretched  desert." 

"Oh,  you're  unwell,  that's  what's  the  matter  with 


The  Mystery  Explained.  199 

you!"  declared  Harry,  scornfully.  "I'll  be  glad  when 
you  are  yourself  again." 

"That's  all  right,"  muttered  Diamond.  "You  are 
too  thoughtless,  that's  what's  the  matter  with  you." 

They  approached  the  spot  where  the  mysterious 
skeleton  had  been  seen,  and  both  were  watching  for  the 
niche  in  the  rocks. 

Suddenly  they  were  startled  by  hearing  a  wild  cry 
from  far  above  their  heads,  and  looking  upward  they 
saw  Frank  Merriwell  running  along  the  very  brink  of 
the  cliff,  but  limping  badly,  as  if  he  were  lame. 

But  what  astonished  and  startled  them  the  most 
was  to  see  a  strange-looking,  bare-headed  man,  who 
was  in  close  pursuit  of  Frank.  Above  his  head  the 
man  wildly  flourished  a  gleaming,  long-bladed  knife, 
while  he  uttered  loud  cries  of  rage. 

"Smooly  hoke!"  cried  Harry.  "Will  you  look  at 
that!" 

Diamond  suddenly  grew  intensely  excited. 

"What  can  we  do? — what  can  we  do?"  he  ex- 
claimed. "Frank  is  hurt!  That  creature  is  running 
him  down!  He  will  murder  him!" 

"If  Merry  had  a  pistol  he  would  be  all  right." 


200  The  Mystery  Explained. 

"But  he  hasn't!  We  must  do  something,  Harry — 
we  must!" 

"Neither  of  us  has  a  gun." 

"No,  but " 

"We  can't  get  up  there." 

"But  we  must  do  something!" 

"We  can't!" 

Jack  grew  more  and  more  frantic.  He  leaped  from 
his  wheel  and  seemed  to  be  looking  for  some  place  to 
try  to  scale  the  face  of  the  bluff. 

"Oh,  if  I  could  get  up  there!"  he  groaned.  "I'd 
show  Frank  that  I  was  ready  to  stand  by  him!  I'd 
fight  that  man  barehanded !" 

And  Rattleton  did  not  doubt  it,  for  he  well  knew 
how  hot-blooded  Diamond  was,  and  the  young  Vir- 
ginian had  never  failed  to  fight  when  the  occasion 
arose.  He  would  not  shirk  any  kind  of  an  encounter. 

Merriwell  saw  them  and  shouted  something  to  them, 
but  they  could  not  understand  what  he  said. 

"Turn!  turn!"  screamed  Jack.  "You  must  fight 
that  man,  or  he  will  stab  you  in  the  back !  He  is  going 
to  strike  you!" 

Frank  seemed  to  hear  and  comprehend,  for  he  sud- 
denly wheeled  about  and  made  a  stand.  In  a  moment 


The  Mystery  Explained.  201 

the  man  with  the  knife  had  rushed  upon  him  and  struck 
with  that  gleaming  blade. 

A  groan  escaped  Jack's  lips  as  he  saw  that  blow,  but 
it  turned  to  a  gasp  of  relief  when  Frank  stopped  it  by 
catching  the  man's  wrist. 

"Give  it  to  him!  Give  it  to  him!"  shrieked  Dia- 
mond, dancing  around  in  a  wild  frenzy  of  anxiety  and 
fear. 

Then  the  boys  below  witnessed  a  terrific  struggle  on 
the  heights  above  them. 

The  man  seemed  mad  with  a  desire  to  plunge  the 
knife  into  Frank,  and  it  was  plain  that  Merriwell  did 
not  wish  to  harm  the  unknown,  but  was  trying  to  dis- 
arm him. 

"What  folly !  what  folly !"  panted  Diamond.  "He'll 
get  his  hand  free  and  stab  Merry  sure!  Beat  him 
down,  Frank — beat  him  down!" 

Once  Frank  slipped  and  fell  to  his  knees.  A  fierce 
yell  of  triumph  broke  from  the  man,  and  it  seemed 
that  he  would  succeed  in  using  the  knife  at  last. 

With  a  groan  of  anguish  Diamond  covered  his  eyes 
that  he  might  not  witness  the  death  of  the  friend  he 
loved.  For  Jack  Diamond  did  love  Frank  Merriwell, 
for  all  that  he  had  complained  against  him  of  late. 


202  The  Mystery  Explained. 

A  cry  of  relief  from  Rattleton  caused  Jack  to  look 
up  again,  and  he  saw  Frank  had  regained  his  feet  and 
was  continuing  the  battle. 

And  now  the  man  fought  with  a  fury  that  was  nerve 
thrilling  to  witness.  His  movements  were  swift  and 
savage,  and  he  tried  again  and  again  to  draw  the  knife 
across  Frank's  throat. 

Jack  and  Harry  scarcely  breathed  until,  with  a  dis- 
play of  strength  and  skill,  Frank  disarmed  his  assail- 
ant by  giving  his  arm  a  wrench,  causing  the  knife  to 
fly  through  the  air  and  fall  over  the  edge  of  the  cliff. 

Down  to  the  ground  below  rattled  the  knife,  and 
then  Diamond  said: 

"Now  Frank  will  be  able  to  handle  the  fellow!" 

But,  flinging  his  arms  about  the  boy,  the  man  made 
a  mad  effort  to  spring  over  the  brink.  For  some  sec- 
onds, locked  thus  in  each  other's  arms,  man  and  boy 
tottered  on  the  very  verge,  and  then  they  swayed  back. 

Frank  broke  the  hold  of  the  man,  striking  him  a 
heavy  blow  a  second  later.  The  man  reeled  and 
dropped  on  the  edge  of  the  precipice.  He  scrambled 
up  hastily,  but  a  great  slice  of  rock  cleaved  off  beneath 
his  feet  and  went  plunging  downward. 

Then  the  watching  boys  saw  the  unknown  totter- 


The  Mystery  Explained.  203 

ing  on  the  brink,  wildly  waving  his  arms  in  an  en- 
deavor to  regain  his  balance.  Frank  sprang  forward 
to  aid  him. 

Too  late ! 

With  a  wild  scream  of  despair,  the  strange  man  top- 
pled over  and  whirled  downward  to  his  death. 

Frank  climbed  down. 

"It's  all  up  with  him,  poor  fellow,"  said  he,  as  he 
stood  near  the  body  of  the  unknown  man,  looking 
down  at  the  face  that  was  white  and  calm  and  peaceful 
in  death. 

"Who  is  he?"  asked  Harry. 

"What  is  he?"  asked  Jack. 

"I  am  afraid  those  questions  cannot  be  answered," 
confessed  Frank.  "That  he  was  a  raving  maniac  I  am 
sure,  and  he  lived  in  a  remarkable  cave  close  at  hand; 
but  who  he  is  or  how  he  came  to  be  there  in  that  cave 
I  do  not  know." 

"Well,  how  you  came  to  be  up  there  with  him  run- 
ning you  down  to  stick  a  knife  in  you  is  what  I  want  to 
know,"  said  Harry. 

"That's  right,"  Jack  nodded.  "Explain  it,  old 
man." 

Then  Frank  told  them  how,  after  the  moon  rose  the 


204  The  Mystery  Explained. 

night  before,  he  had  taken  his  wheel  with  the  inten- 
tion of  riding  around  the  camp,  feeling  he  could  keep 
•watch  as  well  that  way  as  any.  After  the  moon  was 
well  up,  he  saw  there  was  no  one  anywhere  about,  and 
a  desire  to  revisit  the  spot  where  they  had  seen  the 
skeleton  seized  upon  him.  He  rode  to  the  spot,  but 
there  was  no  skeleton  in  the  niche  among  the  rocks. 
Leaving  his  bicycle,  he  climbed  up  there  to  examine 
once  more,  and  to  his  astonishment,  found  that  what 
seemed  to  be  a  solid,  immovable  stone  had  turned  in 
some  manner,  disclosing  an  opening. 

Then,   with   reckless   curiosity,    Frank   resolved  to 

investigate  further,  and  he  descended  into  the  open- 
ing, found  some  stone  steps,  and  was  soon  in  a  cav- 
ern. .The  first  thing  he  discovered  was  the  skeleton, 
still  decorated  as  the  boys  had  seen  it  in  the  first  place, 
and  he  remained  there  till  he  found  how  it  could  be 
placed  in  view  on  the  block  of  stone  and  then  removed 
in  a  twinkling.  He  also  found  a  lamp  with  a  strong- 
reflector,  which  had  thrown  its  light  on  the  skeleton 
from  a  hole  in  the  rocks.  There  was  another  opening 
near  that,  where  a  person  in  the  cave  could  look  out  on 
the  desert,  and  Frank  knew  the  ghostly  voice  they  had 
heard  must  have  come  from  that  place. 


The  Mystery  Explained.  205 

Merriwell  continued  his  investigations,  having 
lighted  the  lamp,  by  the  light  of  which  he  wandered 
through  the  cave.  Suddenly  he  came  face  to  face  with 
an  old  man,  who  seemed  surprised,  but  spoke  quietly 
to  him. 

The  old  man  declared  he  was  "Prof.  Morris  Fill- 
more,"  but  did  not  say  what  he  was  professor  of,  and 
he  volunteered  to  explain  everything  to  the  boy. 

This  he  did,  telling  how  he  worked  the  skele- 
ton to  frighten  away  those  who  might  molest  him  in 
his  solitude,  as  he  wished  to  be  alone.  There  was 
another  entrance  to  the  cave,  and,  in  a  large,  airy 
chamber  a  horse  was  kept.  The  horse  was  coal  black, 
but  on  one  side  of  him  was  drawn  the  outlines  of  the 
skeleton  frame  of  a  horse,  and  the  strange  old  man  ex- 
plained that  he  had  a  suit  of  clothes  on  one  side  of 
which  he  had  traced  the  skeleton  of  a  human  being. 
This  had  been  done  with  phosphorus,  and  it  glowed 
with  a  white  light  in  the  darkness. 

The  old  hermit  had  entered  the  pocket  and  ridden 
near  the  camp  of  the  Indians.  When  he  turned  about 
the  skeleton  tracings  in  phosphorus  could  not  be  seen, 
and  so  the  ghostly  horse  and  rider  seemed  to  disappear 
in  a  most  marvelous  manner. 


206  The  Mystery  Explained. 

Frank  questioned  him  concerning  the  treasure,  and 
the  old  man  seemed  to  grow  excited  and  suspicious. 
He  said  something  about  the  treasure  being  the  prop- 
erty of  some  one  who  had  fled  from  the  destroying 
angels  of  the  Mormons  in  the  old  days,  but  had  per- 
ished in  the  desert.  Frank  was  led  to  believe  that 
the  skeleton  was  that  of  the  original  owner  of  the 
treasure. 

But  when  the  boy  would  have  left  the  cave  the 
stranger  told  him  he  could  not  do  so.  He  informed 
Frank  that  he  could  never  go  out  again,  and  then  it 
was  that  the  boy  became  sure  Fillmore  was  crazy. 

As  the  man  was  armed,  Frank  decided  to  use  strat- 
egy. First  he  sought  to  lull  the  man's  suspicions,  and 
after  being  watched  closely  for  hours  he  found  a 
chance  to  slip  away. 

Almost  immediately  the  man  discovered  what  had 
happened  and  pursued.  By  chance  Frank  fled  out 
through  a  passage  that  led  upward  till  the  top  of  the 
bluff  was  reached,  but  he  fell  and  sprained  his  ankle, 
so  he  was  unable  to  get  away.  The  hermit  followed, 
and  the  mad  battle  for  life  took  place. 

"Well,  this  is  amazing!"  gasped  J?ck.  "What  are 
you  going  to  do  with  that  treasure?' 


The  Mystery  Explained.  207 

"Take  it  to  some  place  for  safe  deposit  and  advertise 
for  the  legal  heirs  of  Prof.  Millard  Fillmore." 

"And  if  no  heirs  appear " 

"The  treasure  will  belong  to  us.'* 
"Hurrah!" 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A     NIGHT     ADVENTURE. 

Frank's  plan  was  carried  out.  All  the  treasure  was 
removed  from  the  cavern  in  which  the  mysterious  old 
hermit  was  buried.  The  hermit's  horse  was  set  free, 
and  the  boys  carried  the  treasure  to  Ullin,  Nevada, 
where  it  was  shipped  to  Carson  and  deposited  in  a 
bank  there, 

"If  it  is  not  claimed  in  a  year's  time,  boys,"  said 
Frank,  "we  will  go  about  the  work  of  having  it  evenly 
divided  among  us.  In  that  case  we  will  have  made  a 
good  thing  out  of  this  trip  across  the  continent." 

Nothing  more  was  seen  of  the  Indians,  and  the  boys 
continued  on  their  trip  until  Carson  City  was  reached. 

One  evening  Frank  was  strolling  along  alone  when 
a  shrill,  piercing  cry  of  pain,  ending  abruptly,  cut  the 
still  evening  air. 

"Hello!"  muttered  Frank,  as  he  paused  to  listen. 
"Something  is  wrong  with  the  person  who  gave  that 
call." 


A  Night  Adventure.  209 

He  listened.  In  a  moment  the  cry  was  repeated, 
and  this  time  it  ended  with  a  distinct  appeal  for  help. 

Frank  was  unarmed,  but  he  was  aroused  by  the 
thought  that  a  fellow  being  was  in  distress,  and  he  ran 
quickly  to  a  dark  corner,  from  beyond  which  the  cry 
had  seemed  to  come. 

To  the  left  was  a  dark  and  narrow  street,  which 
looked  rather  forbidding  and  dangerous. 

"I  believe  the  cry  came  from  this  street,"  said  Frank, 
to  himself.  "If  there  were  a  few  lights " 

"Help!" 

There  could  be  no  mistake  this  time;  the  cry  did 
come  from  that  street.  A  short  distance  away  in  the 
darkness  a  struggle  seemed  to  be  going  on.  Frank 
could  hear  the  sound  of  blows,  hoarse  breathing,  mut- 
tered exclamations  and  cries  of  pain. 

"Some  fellow  is  being  done  up  there!"  thought  the 
boy  from  Yale. 

Without  further  hesitation  he  ran  toward  the  point 
from  which  the  sounds  seemed  to  come. 

In  a  moment  Frank  was  close  upon  two  dark  forms 
that  were  battling  fiercely  on  the  ground.  He  could 
see  them  indistinctly  in  the  darkness. 

"Ah-h-h,  you  little  whelp!"  snarled  a  harsh  voice. 


2io  A  Night  Adventure 

"So  ye  will  run  away,  hey?  Well,  ye'll  never  run 
away  no  more  after  this!" 

"Oh,  please,  please  don't  beat  me  so!"  pleaded  a 
weak  voice.  "You — you  are  killing  me!  Oh!  oh! 
oh!" 

"I'll  make  ye  'oh,  oh,  oh!'  "  grated  the  other. 

Then  the  blows  fell  thick  and  fast. 

"Here,  you  miserable  brute!"  rang  out  the  dear 
voice  of  Frank.  "You  ought  to  be  shot!" 

Then  he  grasped  the  figure  that  was  uppermost  and 
attempted  to  drag  him  off  the  other. 

To  Frank's  surprise,  although  the  attack  had  been 
sudden,  he  did  not  succeed  in  snatching  the  assailant 
from  the  unfortunate  person  he  was  beating. 

"Get  out!"  roared  a  bull-like  voice.  "Lemme 
alone,  or  I'll  cut  yer  hide  open!  This  is  none  of  your 
business !" 

"Help,  sir — help!"  cried  the  weak  voice.  "He  has 
beaten  me  nearly  to  death!  He  will  kill  me!" 

"Ye  oughter  be  killed,  ye  ungrateful  little  whelp!" 

"Break  away !"  commanded  Frank,  as  he  lifted  them 
both  by  a  wonderful  outlay  of  strength  and  literally 
tore  them  apart. 


A  Night  Adventure.  211 

The  one  who  had  been  assailed  could  not  keep  on 

his  feet,  but  swayed  weakly  and  sank  to  the  ground. 

»• 
With  a  sound  that  was  like  the  snarl  of  a  ferocious 

beast,  the  other  grappled  with  Frank.  He  was  sc 
short  that  he  stood  not  much  higher  than  Frank's 
waist,  but  his  shoulders  were  wonderfully  broad,  and 
he  had  arms  that  were  almost  long  enough  to  reach 
the  ground  when  he  was  on  his  feet. 

"Great  heavens!"  thought  Merriwell.  "What  is 
this  I  have  run  against?  Is  it  a  human  gorilla?" 

And  then  he  found  that  the  creature  possessed  mar- 
velous strength,  for  Frank  was  literally  lifted  off  his 
feet  and  flung  prostrate,  the  other  coming  down  upon 
him. 

The  fall  came  about  so  suddenly  that  Frank  was 
dazed,  a,nd  his  breath  was  nearly  knocked  out  of  his 
body.  For  a  moment  he  did  nothing,  and  the  creature 
scrambled  up  and  grasped  the  fallen  lad  by  the  throat 
with  hands  that  were  like  iron. 

"Bother  with  me,  will  ye!"  snarled  that  beastlike 
voice.  "I'll  fix  ye  so  ye  won't  do  it  no  more!" 

Frank  felt  that  he  was  in  deadly  peril,  and  that 
caused  him  to  clutch  the  man's  wrists  and  hold  fast. 

He  saw  something  uplifted,  and  he  knew  well  enough 


212  A  Night  Adventure. 

that  the  furious  creature  had  drawn  a  weapon  of  some 
sort. 

"Look  out!"  panted  the  weak  voice  from  close  at 
hand.  "He  will  kill  you!  He  has  a  knife!" 

Then,  as  Merriwell  used  all  his  strength  to  hold 
back  that  uplifted  hand,  he  began  to  realize  that,  ath- 
lete though  he  was,  he  was  no  match  for  the  person  he 
had  tackled. 

The  strength  of  those  long  arms  was  something 
wonderful,  for  little  by  little  the  man  forced  Frank's 
hand  back,  and  his  knife  approached  the  boy's  breast. 

Merriwell  felt  that  his  power  of  resistance  might 
give  out  suddenly  at  any  instant,  and  then  the  blade 
would  be  driven  to  its  hilt. 

He  was  desperate  and  frantic,  for  there  was  some- 
thing awfully  horrifying  in  the  steady  manner  in  which 
that  knife  was  forced  nearer  and  nearer. 

Cold  sweat  started  out  all  over  him,  and  he  panted 
for  breath,  while  it  seemed  that  his  madly  leaping 
heart  would  burst  from  his  bosom. 

He  could  see  two  glaring  eyes  that  seemed  to  shine 
with  a  baleful  light  of  their  own  in  the  darkness.  He 
could  see  the  writhing  features  of  a  ghastly  face,  and 
he  could  hear  the  creature  grate  his  teeth. 


•  A  Night  Adventure.  213 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  blade. 

Crying  and  panting,  the  one  whom  Frank  had  at- 
tempted to  save  got  upon  his  feet,  swayed  a  bit,  and 
then  steadied  himself  with  a  great  effort. 

"You  shall  not  do  it — you  shall  not!"  he  gasped. 

Then  he  flung  himself  on  the  man,  seeking  to  drag 
him  from  the  prostrate  lad. 

Frank  saw  that  the  time  had  come  to  make  a  last 
effort  for  the  mastery,  and  so,  aided  by  the  other,  he 
succeeded  in  forcing  his  opponent  back  enough  so  he 
could  squirm  out  from  beneath. 

In  a  moment  Frank  gained  his  feet,  and  then,  as 
the  man  with  the  knife  came  up,  out  shot  the  fist  of  the 
young  athlete. 

Smack ! 

The  blow  landed  fairly,  sounding  clear  and  distinct 

Over  went  the  dwarf,  and  the  knife  flew  out  of  his 
hands,  falling  with  a  clattering  ring  upon  some  stones. 

Merriwell  knew  -he  must  follow  up  his  advantage, 
but  he  was  barely  quick  enough,  for  the  fallen  ruffian 
scrambled  to  his  feet  with  the  nimbleness  of  a  cat. 

But  again  Frank  struck  the  fellow,  using  all  his 
skill  and  muscle.  He  barely  escaped  being  clutched 


214  A  Night  Adventure 

by  those  long  arms,  but  the  dwarf  was  knocked  down 
once  more. 

The  sounds  which  came  from  the  throat  of  the  man 
were  decidedly  unpleasant  to  hear.  They  did  not 
seem  to  be  words,  but  were  a  succession  of  snarls. 

By  the  time  Frank  had  struck  the  creature  again, 
he  did  not  scramble  up  so  quickly. 

At  that  moment,  having  heard  the  sounds  of  the 
struggle,  some  person  brought  a  light  to  the  broken 
window  of  an  old  house  that  stood  almost  within  the 
limits  of  the  street. 

That  light  shone  out  and  fell  full  on  the  dwarf  man 
as  he  was  rising  to  his  feet  after  the  third  blow.  His 
long  arms  were  extended  so  that  his  hands  lay  on  the 
ground,  and  he  was  standing  in  a  crouching  position 
on  all  fours.  His  face  was  pale  as  marble,  and  disfig- 
ured by  a  red  scar  that  ran  down  his  left  cheek  from 
his  temple  to  the  corner  of  his  mouth.  His  eyes  were 
set  near  together,  and  were  blazing  with  ferocity. 

Taken  altogether,  Frank  thought  that  the  most  hor- 
rible face  he  had  ever  seen. 

The  light  seemed  to  startle  the  horrid-appearing 
creature,  and,  with  a  low,  grating  cry  of  baffled  fury, 
he  turned  and  ran  swiftly  away,  still  in  a  somewhat 


A  Night  Adventure.  215 

crouching  position,  h:'s  hands  almost  touching  the 
ground,  while  he  made  queer  leaps  and  bounds. 

In  a  moment  the  dwarf  had  disappeared. 

Frank  gave  a  breath  of  relief. 

"Good  riddance!"  muttered  the  lad  from  Yale. 

Then  he  turned  to  look  for  the  person  he  had  saved 
from  the  dwarf. 

That  person  had  disappeared. 

"Gone!"  exclaimed  Merriwell,  in  astonishment  and 
regret.  "He  must  have  been  frightened  away  during 
the  last  of  the  struggle.  He  was  weak,  and  he  may 
not  have  gone  far." 

Frank  resolved  to  search,  and  immediately  set  about 
doing  so.  He  had  not  proceeded  far  when  he  came 
upon  a  form  stretched  motionless  on  the  ground. 

A  hasty  examination  showed  Frank  it  was  a  boy, 
who  seemed  to  have  fainted. 

"It  is  the  chap  the  dwarf  was  beating!"  decided  Mer- 
riwell. 

He  lifted  the  unconscious  boy  in  his  arms,  tossing 
him  over  one  shoulder,  and  started  toward  the  lighted 
street. 

"I  must  take  the  poor  fellow  to  the  hotel,  and  then 


216  A  Night  Adventure. 

we'll  see  what  can  be  done  for  him.  He  seems  to  be 
in  a  bad  way." 

By  the  time  the  lighted  street  was  reached  the  boy 
recovered  consciousness.  He  struggled  a  bit,  moaned 
slightly,  and  then,  in  a  pathetic,  pleading  voice,  he 
said: 

"Please  don't  take  me  back  to  Bernard  Belmont, 
Apollo — please  don't!  I  know  he  will  kill  me!" 

"Don't  be  afraid,"  said  Frank,  gently.  "I  am  not 
taking  you  to  any  one  who  will  harm  you." 

A  cry  of  astonishment  broke  from  the  boy. 

"Why,"  he  exclaimed,  "you  are  not  Apollo!" 

"No;  I  am  Frank  Merriwell.     Whojs  Apollo?" 

"A  dwarf — a  wretch — the  hired  tool  of  Bernard 
Belmont!  Oh,  he  is  a  monster,  without  heart  or 
soul!" 

"He  must  be  the  one  with  whom  I  had  the  lively 
little  set-to." 

"You — you  came  to  my  aid — you  saved  me  from 
him !  How  can  I  thank  you !  But  I  thought  he  would 
kill  you!" 

"And  so  he  might  if  you  hadn't  helped  me  throw 
him  off.  You  did  it  just  in  time,  and  I  believe  you 
saved  my  life." 


A  Night  Adventure.  217 

"Oh,  but  he  had  a  knife — I  could  see  it!  And  I 
knew  he  would  use  it.  He  has  such  wonderful 
strength." 

"He  is  strong." 

"Strong!  I  do  not  see  how  you  held  him  off !  But 
I  could  see  him  forcing  the  knife  nearer  and  nearer, 
and  I  grew  frantic,  for  it  seemed  that  you  would  be 
killed  before  my  eyes." 

"I  was  rather  anxious  myself,"  confessed  Frank, 
with  something  like  a  laugh. 

"It  was  a  nasty  position." 

"I  don't  know  how  I  dared  touch  him,  but  I  re- 
member that  I  did.  Then  you  flung  him  off  and  got 
up.  After  that,  I  remember  that  you  were  fighting, 
and  I  felt  sure  you  could  not  conquer  him.  He  would 
get  the  best  of  you  in  the  end,  and  then  he'd  finish 
me.  I  was  scared  and  tried  to  run  away ;  but  I  did  not 
go  far  before  I  became  sick  and  weak,  and — and  I 
don't  remember  anything  more." 

"You  fainted." 

"And  you  whipped  Apollo?" 

"Not  exactly.  I  knocked  him  down  a  few  times, 
but  he  seemed  to  spring  to  his  feet  almost  as  soon  as 


2i8  A  Night  Adventure. 

he  went  down.  Then  somebody  brought  a  light  to  a 
window  and  he  was  scared  away." 

The  boy  clung  to  Frank. 

"He  did  not  go  far!"  he  excitedly  whispered.  "He 
is  not  far  away!  He  is  liable  to  spring  upon  us  any 
time!  Bernard  Belmont  has  sent  him  for  me,  and  he 
will  not  rest  till  he  gets  me.  Oh,  I  must  get  away — 
quick — to  my  sister !  She  is  near — so  near  now !  But 
my  strength  is  gone,  and — and " 

The  boy  began  to  cough,  and  each  convulsion  shook 
him  from  head  to  feet.  There  was  a  hollow,  dread- 
ful sound  about  that  cough — a  sound  that  gave  Frank 
a  chill. 

"Never  mind  if  your  strength  is  gone,"  said  Merri- 
well,  encouragingly.  "You'll  get  along  all  right,  for 
I'll  stick  by  you  and  see  that  you  dr." 

"You  are  so  kind!" 

"What's  your  name?" 

"George  Morris." 

"Where  do  you  live — here  in  Carson?" 

"Oh,  no,  no!     I  live  in  Ohio." 

"That  is  a  long  distance  away." 

"Yes,  sir." 

"How  do  you  happen  to  be  here?" 


A  Night  Adventure.  219 

The  boy  hesitated,  seeming  in  doubt  and  fear,  and 
then,  with  what  appeared  to  be  a  sudden  impulse,  he 
said: 

"I  am  going  to  tell  you — I  am  going  to  tell  you 
everything.  Put  me  down  here.  Let's  rest.  I  am 
tired,  and  I  must  be  heavy." 

They  sat  down  on  some  steps,  the  boy  seeking  to 
keep  in  the  shadow,  showing  he  feared  being  seen. 

"It's — it's  like  this,"  he  began,  weakly.  "I — I  ran 
away." 

"Oh-ho!"  exclaimed  Frank. 

The  lad  quickly,  almost  fearfully,  clutched  his  arms. 

"Don't  think  I  ran  away  foolishly!"  he  exclaimed, 
coughing  again.  "I — I  came  out  here  to  find  my  sis- 
ter, who  is  buried." 

"Then  your  sister  is  dead?" 

"No." 

"Not  dead?  You  said  she  rs  buried.  How  can  a 
person  be  buried  and  not  be  dead?" 

Frank  began  to  think  it  possible  the  boy  was  rather 
"daffy." 

"There — there's  lots  to  the  story,"  came  painfully 
from  the  boy.  "I  can't  tell  you  all.  The  letter  said 
she  was  buried — buried  so  deep  that  Bernard  Belmont 


22o  A  Night  Adventure. 

could  never  find  her.  That  letter  was  from  Uncle  Car- 
ter." 

"Uncle  Carter?" 

"My  father's  brother,  Carter  Morris.  He  lives 
somewhere  in  the  mountains  west  of  Lake  Tahoe.  He 
has  a  mine  up  there,  and  he  is  very  queer.  He  thinks 
everybody  wants  to  steal  his  mine,  and  he  will  let  no 
one  know  where  it  is  located.  They  say  the  ore  he  has 
brought  here  into  Carson  is  of  marvelous  richness. 
Men  have  tried  to  follow  him,  but  he  has  always  suc- 
ceeded in  flinging  them  off  the  trail.  Never  have  they 
tracked  him  to  his  mine." 

"Then  he  is  something  of  a  hermit?" 

"Yes,  he  is  a  hermit,  and  my  sister  is  with  him. 
He  wrote  that  she  was  buried  deep  in  the  earth — that 
must  be  in  his  mine." 

"How  did  your  sister  come  to  be  with  him  ?" 

"I  helped  her — I  helped  her  get  away!"  panted  the 
boy,  excitedly.  "I  knew  they  meant  to  kill  us  both!" 

"They?     Who?" 

"Bernard  Belmont  and  Apollo." 

"Who  is  Bernard  Belmont?" 

"My  stepfather.     He  married  my  mother,  after  the 


A  Night  Adventure.  221 

death  of  my  father.     He  is  a  handsome  man,  but  he 
has  a  wicked  face,  and  he  is  a  wretch — a  wretch !" 

The  boy  grew  excited  suddenly,  almost  screaming 
his  words,  while  he  struck  his  clinched  hands  together 
feebly. 

"Steady,"  warned  Frank.  "You  must  not  get  so 
excited. 

The  boy  began  to  cough,  holding  both  hands  to  his 
breast.  For  some  minutes  he  was  shaken  by  that 
convulsive  cough. 

"Come,"  said  Frank,  "let  me  get  you  to  the  hotel. 
You  must  have  a  doctor.  There  must  be  no  further 
delay." 

"No,  stop!"  and  the  boy  held  to  Merriwell's  arm. 
"I  must  tell  you  now.  I  seem  to  feel  that  my  strength 
is  going — going !  I  must  tell  you !  He — he  killed  my 
mother !" 

"Who— Bernard  Belmont?" 

"Yes,  yes!" 

"Killed  her?    You  charge  him  with  that?" 

"I  do.  He  killed  her  by  inches.  He  tortured  her 
to  death  by  his  abusive  treatment — he  frightened  my 
poor  mother  to  death.  And  then,  when  he  found 


222 


A  Night  Adventure. 


everything  had  been  left  to  us — my  sister  and  myself 
— then  he  set  about  the  task  of  destroying  us  by  inches. 
It  was  fixed  so  that  he  could  get  hold  of  everything 
with  us  out  of  the  way,  and  he " 

Another  fit  of  coughing  came  on,  and,  when  it  was 
finished,  the  boy  was  too  weak  to  proceed  with  the 
story. 

"You  shall  have  a  doctor  immediately !"  cried  Frank, 
as  he  lifted  the  lad  and  again  started  for  the  hotel. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE   STORY. 

Frank  succeeded  in  getting  George  Morris  to  the 
hotel,  took  him  to  a  room,  and  put  him  on  the  bed. 

"Do  not  leave  me!"  pleaded  the  boy.  "Apollo  will 
come  and  carry  me  off  if  you  do.  Stay  here  with  me !" 

"I'll  stay,"  assured  Frank;  "but  I  must  find  some 
of  my  friends  and  send  for  a  physician.  You  must 
have  a  doctor  right  away." 

Bruce,  Diamond  and  Toots  had  gone  out,  but  he 
>und  Harry,  and  told  him  what  was  desired.  Harry 
started  out  to  search  for  a  doctor,  while  Frank  re- 
turned to  the  boy,  who  was  in  a  state  of  great  agita- 
tion when  he  re-entered  the  room. 

"Oh,  I  thought  you  would  never  come!"  coughed 
the  unfortunate  lad.  "You  were  away  so  long!" 

He  was  thin  and  pale,  with  deep-sunken  eyes,  which, 
however,  were  strangely  bright.  He  was  poorly  and 
scantily  dressed,  and  the  hand  that  lay  on  his  bosom 
seemed  so  thin  that  it  was  almost  transparent.  One 
of  his  eyes  had  been  struck  by  the  fist  of  the  brutish 


224  The  Story. 

dwarf,  and  was  turning  purple.  On  one  cheek  there 
was  a  great  bruise  and  a  slight  cut. 

Frank's  heart  had  gone  out  in  sympathy  to  this  un- 
fortunate lad,  and  he  was  filled  with  rage  when  he 
thought  how  brutally  the  poor  boy  had  been  treated. 

Merriwell  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  the  bed,  and  took 
that  thin,  white  hand.  It  felt  like  a  little  bundle  of 
bones,  and  was  so  cold  that  it  gave  Frank  a  shudder. 

"You  are  very  ill,"  declared  the  boy  from  Yale. 
"I  believe  you  have  been  starved." 

"That  was  one  way  in  which  he  tried  to  get  rid  of 
us,"  said  George. 

"You  are  speaking  of  Bernard  Belmont?" 

"Yes." 

"He  tried  to  starve  you?" 

"Yes,  and  my  sister  also.  Little  Milly!  You 
should  see  her!  She  is  such  a  sweet  girl,  and  she  is 
so  good !  I  don't  see  how  he  had  the  heart  to  torture 
her." 

"This  Belmont  must  be  a  human  brute !"  cried  Mer- 
riwell, in  anger.  "He  deserves  to  be  broken  on  the 
wheel !" 

"He  is  a  brute !"  weakly  cried  the  boy.  "He  killed 
my  mother — my  dear,  sweet  mother!  Oh,  she  was  so 


The  Story.  225 

good,  and  so  beautiful!  She  loved  us  so — Milly  and 
me!  Listen,  my  dear  friend/'  and  the  the  boy  drew 
Frank  closer.  "I — I  think  he — poisoned  her!" 

These  words  were  whispered  in  a  tone  of  such  hor- 
ror and  grief  that  the  soul  of  the  listening  lad  was 
made  to  quiver  like  the  vibrating  strings  of  a  violin 
when  touched  by  the  bow. 

"You  mustn't  think  about  that  now,"  said  Frank, 
soothingly.  "It  will  hurt  you  to  think  about  it." 

"But  I  must,  for,  do  you  know,  dear  friend,  I  feel 
sure  I  shall  not  have  long  to  think  of  it." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Merry,  with  a  chill. 

"Something — something  tells  me  the  end  is  near. 
Apollo,  he  hurt  me — here." 

The  boy  pressed  one  hand  to  his  breast  and  coughed 
again. 

"You  are  excited — you  are  frightened,"  declared 
Frank.  "You  will  be  all  right  in  the  morning.  The 
doctor  will  fix  you  up  all  right.  You  shall  have  the 
very  best  food  you  can  eat,  and  I'll  see  that  you  re- 
ceive the  tenderest  care." 

The  eyes  of  the  lad  on  the  bed  filled  with  tears  and 
his  lips  quivered,  while  he  gazed  at  Frank  with  a  look 
of  love. 


226  The  Story. 

"You  are  so  good!"  he  said,  weakly,  but  with  deep 
feeling.  "Why  are  you  so  good  to  me — a  stranger?" 

"Because  I  like  you,  and  you  are  in  trouble." 

"There  are  not  many  like  you — not  many !  I  know 
I  can  trust  you,  and  I  do  wish  you  would  do  something 
forme!" 

"I  will.     Tell  me  what  it  is.     I  promise  in  advance." 

"I  don't  want  you  to  promise  till  you  know  what  it 
is,  for  I  have  no  right  to  ask  so  much  of  you." 

"Very  well.     Tell  me." 

"When  I  am  dead,  for  I  know  I  shall  not  last  long 
— will  you  find  my  sister  and  tell  her  everything?  Tell 
her  how  near  I  came  to  reaching  her,  and  let  her  know 
that  I  am  gone.  She  loves  me.  I  am  only  fifteen, 
but  she  is  eighteen  and  very  beautiful.  She  looks  like 
my  angel  mother.  Dear  little  Milly!  Will  you  do 
this?" 

"I  will  do  it,  if  the  occasion  arises;  but  we'll  have 
you  all  right  in  a  short  time,  and  you  will  go  to  her 
yourself." 

"If  I  recover,  I  shall  not  be  able  to  go  to  her." 

"Why  not?" 

"Bernard  Belmont  has  followed  me,  and  he  will  drag 
vie  back  to  the  old  prison — I  know  it." 


The  Story.  227 

"He  shall  not!"  exclaimed  Frank,  with  determina- 
tion. 

"The  law  is  with  him,"  said  the  boy,  weakly.  "He 
has  the  best  of  it,  for  he  is  my  legal  guardian." 

"At  that  he  has  no  right  to  abuse  you,  and  he  can 
be  deprived  of  guardianship  over  you.  It  shall  be 
done/' 

But  no  light  of  hope  illumined  the  face  of  the  un- 
fortunate boy. 

"It  will  be  no  use,"  George  said.  "He  has  starved 
me  and  beaten  me.  He  has  drenched  me  with  water, 
and  left  me  where  it  was  icy  cold,  so  that  I  have  been 
awfully  ill.  And  all  the  time  I  had  this — this  cough." 

Frank  leaped  to  his  feet  and  paced  the  small  room 
like  a  caged  tiger,  his  soul  wrought  to  an  intense  fury 
at  the  thought  of  the  treatment  the  boy  had  received. 
He  longed  for  power  to  punish  the  monster  who  had 
perpetrated  such  dastardly  acts. 

"Your  sister,"  he  finally  asked — "did  this  brute  treat 
her  thus?" 

"Nearly  as  bad,  but  she  was  older  and  stronger." 

"Tell  me,  how  did  your  sister  get  away  from  him  ?" 

"We  planned  to  run  away  together,  and  then  I  be- 
came so  ill  that  I  could  not.  I — I  made  her  leave  me. 


228  The  Story. 

I  told  her  she  must  find  Uncle  Carter — must  let  him 
know  everything.  It  was  our  only  hope.  He  must 
save  us." 

"But  how  did  she  reach  your  uncle?" 

"It  was  this  way:  We  knew  where  Bernard  Bel- 
mont  kept  some  money  in  a  little  safe,  and  I — I  knew 
how  to  get  into  that  safe.  That  money  belonged  to 
us — it  was  mother's  money.  Belmont  was  not  worth 
a  dollar  when  he  married  my  mother.  It  would  not 
be  stealing  for  us  to  take  it.  Sometimes  he  went  away 
and  left  us  to  be  cared  for  by  Apollo,  the  dwarf.  Such 
care !  Apollo  was  a  monster — a  brute !  Bernard  Bel- 
mont hired  him  to  torture  us.  This  time,  when  Bel- 
mont went  away,  Apollo  shut  us  up  in  a  room,  leav- 
ing some  bread  and  water  for  us,  and  we  were  left 
there,  while  he  visited  the  wine  cellar  and  got  beastly 
drunk.  He  thought  we  were  safe  in  that  room — 
thought  we  could  not  get  out.  '  But  we  had  been  im- 
prisoned there  before,  and  I  had  made  a  key  of  wire. 
We  got  out.  We  found  the  dwarf  in  a  drunken  sleep, 
and  we  tied  him.  Then  we  went  to  the  safe  and 
opened  it.  There  was  but  a  trifle  over  fifty  dollars  in 
that  safe.  It  was  not  enough  to  take  us  both  to  Ne- 
vada— to  Uncle  Carter.  Then  I  fainted,  and  I  was  toe 


The  Story.  229 

ill  to  try  to  run  away  when  my  sister  restored  me.  She 
insisted  on  staying  with  me,  but  I  commanded  her  to 
go.  I  begged  her  to  go.  I  told  her  it  was  the  only  way. 
If  she  did  not  go,  we  were  lost,  for  Bernard  Belmont 
would  discover  what  we  had  done,  and  he  would  make 
sure  we  had  no  opportunity  to  repeat  the  trick.  She 
wanted  to  stay  and  care  for  me.  I  told  her  Belmont 
would  not  dare  harm  me  till  he  had  caught  her.  It  might 
be  some  days  before  he  got  back.  It  was  possible  she 
could  reach  Uncle  Carter,  and  then  Uncle  Carter  could 
come  East  and  save  me.  After  a  time  I  convinced  her. 
She  took  the  money,  dressed  herself  for  the  street,  and, 
after  kissing  me  and  weeping  over  me,  left  me.  I 
have  never  seen  her  since." 

"But  she  escaped — she  reached  your  uncle?" 

"Yes." 

"He  made  no  effort  to  save  you?" 

"No." 

"Why  was  that?" 

"I  know  nothing,  except  that  he  is  queer.  Perhaps 
he  thought  I  was  not  woith  saving.  It  was  nearly  a 
week  before  Bernard  Belmont  returned.  All  that  time 
I  kept  Apollo  tied  fast,  and  I  rejoiced  as  the  days  went 
by.  When  Belmont  came  there  was  a  terrible  out- 


2 30  The  Story. 

burst.  I  was  beaten  nearly  to  death.  He  tried  to 
make  me  tell  where  my  sister  had  gone,  but  I  would 
only  say,  'Find  out.'  When  I  had  become  unconscious 
and  he  could  not  restore  me  to  my  senses  to  question  me 
further,  he  started  to  trace  Mildred.  He  traced  her 
after  a  time,  but  she  had  reached  Uncle  Carter,  and 
she  was  safe.  He  wrote  a  letter  to  Uncle  Carter,  and 
the  reply  he  received  made  him  furious.  It  told  him 
that  Milly  was  buried  so  deep  that  he  would  never  see 
her  again.  She  was  dead  to  him  and  to  the  world. 
Then  Bernard  Belmont  swore  that  I  would  soon  be 
dead  in  truth.  After  that — oh,  I  can't  tell  it!" 

Frank  saw  it  was  exhausting  the  unfortunate  boy, 
and  he  quickly  said : 

"Do  not  tell  it ;  you  have  told  enough.  But  you  es- 
caped." 

"After  nearly  a  year.  I  escaped  without  a  cent  of 
money,  and  how  I  worked  my  way  here  I  do  not  know. 
Several  times  I  dodged  detectives,  whom  I  knew  were 
in  the  employ  of  Belmont.  I  got  here  at  last,  but  I 
found  Bernard  Belmont  and  Apollo  were  waiting  for 
me.  I  tried  to  escape,  but  Apollo  found  me,  and — 
you  know  the  rest." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

ANOTHER     ESCAPE. 

The  poor  boy  relapsed  into  silence,  closing  his  eyes 
and  breathing  with  no  small  difficulty.  A  great  flood 
of  pity  welled  up  in  the  heart  of  Frank  Merriwell  as 
he  looked  at  that  thin,  bruised  face,  and  he  felt  like 
becoming  the  boy's  champion  and  avenger. 

Again  Frank  pressed  the  thin  hand  that  looked  so 
weak  and  helpless.  He  held  it  in  both  his  own  warm, 
strong  hands,  and  he  earnestly  said : 

"My  poor  fellow !  you  have  been  wretchedly  treated, 
and  it  is  certain  that  Bernard  Belmont  shall  suffer  for 
what  he  has  done.  Retribution  is  something  he  can- 
not escape." 

"Oh,  I  don't  know !"  weakly  whispered  George.  "I 
used  to  think  so — I  used  to  think  that  the  wicked  people 
all  were  punished,  but  I'm  beginning  to  believe  it  isn't 
so." 

"You  must  not  believe  it  isn't  so,"  anxiously  de- 
clared Frank.  "Of  course  you  believe  there  is  an  All- 
wise  Being  who  witnesses  even  the  sparrow's  fall  ?" 


232 


Another  Escape. 


'Yes.' 


"Then  you  cannot  doubt  that  such  a  Being  will  visit 
just  punishment  upon  the  wicked  man  who  has  caused 
you  so  much  suffering  and  pain.  His  way  is  past  find- 
ing out,  but  you  must  trust  Him." 

There  was  something  noble  and  manly  on  the  face  of 
Frank  Merriwell  as  he  spoke  those  words,  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  uttered  them  told  that  he  had  the  ut- 
most and  implicit  confidence  in  the  wisdom  of  the 
Being  of  whom  he  spoke. 

At  that  moment  it  scarcely  seemed  possible  that 
Frank  was  the  same  merry,  laughing,  lively  lad  who 
was  usually  so  full  of  fun  and  pranks.  Those  who 
fancied  they  knew  him  best  would  have  been  amazed 
could  they  have  seen  him  and  heard  his  words. 

Thus  was  shown  one  of  the  many  hidden  sides  of 
Frank's  nature,  which  was  most  complex  and  yet  hon- 
est and  guileless. 

The  boy  on  the  bed  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  at 
Frank  in  silence  for  a  long  time.  Finally  he  said : 

"I  see  you  really  believe  what  you  say,  and  you  have 
given  me  new  faith.  I  have  suffered  so  much — so 
much  that  I  had  begun  to  doubt.  It  is  hard  to  trust 
in  the  goodness  of  God  when  it  seems  that  nearly  all 


Another  Escape.  233 

the  wicked  ones  in  the  world  are  the  ones  who  are 
prosperous.  Bernard  Belmont  is  believed  to  be  an 
upright  and  honorable  man  in  the  town  where  he  lives, 
and  the  people  there  think  he  was  very  kind  to  the  two 
invalid  children  left  on  his  hands  when  his  wife  died. 

"Some  day  they  will  know  the  truth." 

"It  will  be  when  I  am  dead!" 

"Nonsense!" 

"I  am  sure  of  it.  Do  you  know,  dear  friend,  Apollo 
hurt  me  so  much  to-night !  It  seems  that  he  hurt  me 
somewhere  in — here." 

The  boy  pressed  his  hand  to  his  side. 

"But  the  doctor  is  coming,  and  he  will  make  you  well 
again." 

"Perhaps  he  can't.  I  had  rather  not  get  well  than 
be  turned  over  to  Belmont  again  and  left  for  him  to 
torture." 

George  shuddered  at  this,  and  Frank  ground  his 
teeth  softly,  as  he  thought  what  intense  satisfaction  it 
would  give  him  to  see  the  man  Belmont  punished  as  he 
deserved. 

"Why  doesn't  Harry  come  with  the  doctor?" 
thought  Frank,  as  he  got  up  and  impatiently  paced  the 
floor.  He  has  had  plenty  of  time." 


2)4  Another  Escape. 

A  few  moments  later  the  boy  on  the  bed  beckoned 
with  his  thin  hand. 

Frank  hastened  to  the  bedside,  anxiously  asking : 

"Is  there  anything  I  can  do?" 

"Yes,"  whispered  George;  "sit  down  and  listen." 

"I  wish  you  would  save  your  strength.  You  must 
stop  talking." 

"I  must  talk,  for  it  is  my  last  chance.  I  want  to  tell 
you  again  that  I  know  my  sister  is  somewhere  in  the 
mountains  up  around  Lake  Tahoe.  You  have  said  you 
would  find  her.  Do  so;  tell  her  I  am  gone.  She  is 
an  heiress,  for  all  the  money  Bernard  Belmont  has  will 
belong  to  her  then.  If  you  could  do  something  to  aid 
her  in  obtaining  her  rights.  Will  you  try?" 

"I  will  try." 

"Oh,  you  are  so  good — and  you  are  so  brave !  How 
you  fought  that  terrible  dwarf!  You  did  not  seem 
afraid  of  him!  It  is  wonderful!  I  never  saw  any- 
body like  you !  Yes,  yes,  I  am  beginning  to  have  faith. 
How  can  I  help  it  after  this?" 

He  smiled  at  Frank,  and  there  was  something  so 
joyous  and  so  pathetic  in  that  smile  that  Merry  turned 
away  to  hide  the  tears  which  welled  into  his  eyes. 


Another  Escape.  235 

When  Frank  turned  back  he  was  bravely  smiling, 
as  he  said,  in  a  most  encouraging  manner : 

"Now  you  must  have  faith  that  you  are  going  to  get 
well.  That  is  what  you  need.  It  will  be  better  than 
medicine  and  doctors.  Think — think  of  meeting  your 
sister  again!" 

"Yes,  yes !"  panted  the  boy.     "Dear  little  Milly  I" 

"How  happy  she  will  be !" 

"Yes,  yes !" 

"And  think  of  regaining  possession  of  what  is  right- 
fully your  own — of  getting  square  with  Bernard  Bel- 
mont." 

A  cloud  came  to  the  face  of  the  boy. 

"Of  course  I  want  what  is  mine — I  want  Milly  to 
have  her  rights,"  he  slowly  said;  "but — but  it  is  not 
my  place  to  punish  the  man  who  has  wronged  us." 

"The  law  will  do  that." 

"God  will  do  that !  I  believe  it  once  more  since  talk- 
ing with  you.  I  trust  Him  fully." 

There  were  footsteps  outside  the  door,  a  gentle  tap, 
and  Frank  admitted  Harry  and  a  physician. 

The  doctor  sat  down  in  a  chair  by  the  bed  and  asked 
the  boy  a  few  questions,  while  Frank  and  Harry  anx- 


236  Another  Escape. 

iously  watched  and  listened.     The  doctor's  face  was 
unreadable. 

"Who  is  this  boy,  Frank?"  whispered  Harry. 
"Where  did  you  find  him?" 

"Wait,"  said  Merry.  "I  will  tell  you  later,  but  not 
here." 

The  doctor  declared  that  the  unfortunate  lad  must 
have  some  light  stimulating  food  without  delay,  and 
he  wrote  a  prescription. 

"Take  this  to  a  druggist  and  have  it  filled,"  he  said, 
handing  it  to  Harry. 

Harry  left  the  room. 

The  boy  lay  back  on  the  bed,  his  eyes  closed,  breath- 
ing softly.  The  doctor  arose  and  walked  to  the  win- 
dow, motioning  Frank  to  join  him. 

"How  is  it,  doctor?"  Merriwell  anxiously  asked, 
in  a  whisper. 

The  man  shook  his  head. 

"I  can't  tell  yet,"  he  confessed;  "but  I  fear  he  is 
done  for.  He  has  been  starved,  and  his  lungs  are  in  a 
bad  way.  What  he  needs  most  is  stimulants  and  food, 
but  everything  must  be  mild,  as  his  system  is  in  such 
a  weakened  condition.  As  for  the  injury  to  his  side, 


Another  Escape.  237 

of  which  he  complains,  of  course  I  cannot  tell  how  se- 
vere that  may  be." 

Frank's  heart  sank,  for  the  doctor  was  more  discour- 
aging in  his  manner  than  in  his  words. 

"Save  him  if  you  can,  doctor !"  he  entreated. 

"I  will.     Is  he  a  friend  or  relative  of  yours?" 

"He  is  an  utter  stranger  to  me.  I  never  saw  him 
before  to-night." 

The  doctor  lifted  his  eyebrows  in  astonishment. 

"Indeed !  Then  who  is  to  pay  the  bills  for  his  care 
and  treatment?" 

"I  will,"  Frank  promptly  answered.  "Here,  take 
this  as  a  fee  in  advance." 

A  bill  was  thrust  into  the  physician's  hand. 

After  looking  at  the  bill  the  doctor  assumed  a  very 
deferential  manner. 

"He  should  have  a  first-class  nurse/*  he  declared. 

"He  shall,"  assured  Merriwell;  "the  best  one  to  be 
obtained  in  Carson." 

"This  is  very  strange,"  said  the  physician.  "I  can't 
understand  why  you  should  do  such  a  thing  for  one 
who  is  a  stranger  to  you.  You  must  have  an  object." 

"I  have." 

"Ah!    I  thought  so!" 


238  Another  Escape. 

"My  object  is  to  see  this  poor,  abused  boy  live  and 
get  his  just  due.  He  has  been  misused,  and  the  man 
who  has  misused  him  should  be  punished.  I  hope  to 
live  to  know  that  man  has  been  punished  as  he  de- 
serves." 

"Ah!"  came  from  the  doctor  once  more.  "Then 
you  have  a  grudge  against  the  man  ?" 

"I  never  saw  him  in  all  my  life.  I  never  heard  of 
him  before  this  night." 

The  physician  was  more  puzzled  than  before. 

"Then  I  must  say  you  are  a  most  remarkable  per- 
son !"  he  exclaimed. 

Once  more  there  were  steps  outside  the  door — heavy 
shuffling  steps. 

The  boy  on  the  bed  heard  those  steps,  and  a  gasp 
came  from  his  pale  lips,  as  he  turned  his  head  toward 
the  door,  his  face  distorted  by  fear. 

"He  is  coming!" 

The  words  came  in  a  hoarse  whisper  from  the  in- 
jured boy. 

Frank  started  toward  the  door  and  the  boy  wildly  en- 
treated : 

"Stop  him — don't  let  him  come  in  here!  Hark! 
There  is  another  step!  They  are  both  there!  They 


Another  Escape.  239 

have  come  for  me — come  to  drag  me  back  to  a  living 
death!" 

"Why,  he  is  raving!"  exclaimed  the  doctor. 

Bang! — open  flew  the  door.  Without  stopping  to 
knock  or  ask  leave  to  enter,  a  tall,  dark-bearded  man 
stepped  into  the  room. 

At  this  man's  heels  came  a  crouching  figure  that 
seemed  half  human  and  half  beast.  It  had  a  short, 
thick  body  and  long  arms  that  nearly  reached  the  floor. 
Its  face  was  pale  as  marble,  save  for  a  red  scar  that 
ran  down  the  left  cheek  to  the  corner  of  the  mouth. 
The  eyes  were  set  near  together,  and  they  glistened 
with  a  savage,  cruel  light. 

Frank  stepped  between  the  intruders  and  the  bed, 
but  the  boy  had  seen  them,  and  he  sat  up,  uttering  a 
wild  scream  of  fear,  then  fell  back  on  the  pillow. 

"Who  are  you?  and  what  do  you  want?"  demanded 
Merriwell,  boldly  confronting  the  man  and  the  crea- 
ture at  his  heels. 

"Never  mind  who  we  are ;  we  want  that  boy,  and  we 
•will  have  him!"  declared  the  man.  "He  can't  escape 
us  this  time !" 

Frank  glanced  at  the  figure  on  the  bed,  and  then 
turned  back,  crying  with  great  impressiveness : 


240  Another  Escape. 

"He  can  and  has  escaped  you,  Bernard  Belmont ;  but 
he  will  stand  face  to  face  with  you  at  the  great  bar  of 
justice  in  the  day  of  judgment!" 

"What!"  hoarsely  cried  the  man,  starting  back  and 
staring  at  the  ghastly  face  of  the  boy  on  the  bed ;  "he 
is  dead!" 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

AT     LAKE     TAHOE. 

Poised  like  a  sparkling  gem  in  a  grand  and  glorious 
setting  of  mountain  peaks,  lies  Lake  Tahoe,  the  high- 
est body  of  water  on  the  American  continent. 

The  sun  was  shining  from  a  clear  sky  when  Frank 
Merriwell  and  Harry  Rattleton  reached  a  point  where 
they  could  look  down  upon  the  bosom  of  the  lake,  from 
which  the  sunlight  was  reflected  as  from  the  surface 
of  a  mirror. 

"There  it  is,  old  man !"  cried  Frank,  enthusiastically 
— "the  most  beautiful  lake  in  all  the  wide  world!" 

"That  is  stutting  it  rather  peep — I  mean  putting  it 
rather  steep,"  said  Harry,  with  a  remonstrating  grin. 

"But  none  too  steep,"  asserted  Frank.  "People  raved 
about  the  beauties  of  Maggiore  and  Como,  and  thou- 
sands of  fool  Americans  rush  over  to  the  old  world 
and  go  into  raptures  over  those  lakes,  but  Tahoe 
knocks  the  eye  out  of  them  both." 

"I  think  you  are  stuck  on  anything  American, 
Frank." 


242  At  Lake  Tahoe. 

"I  am,  and  I  am  proud  of  it,  too.  Rattleton,  we 
have  a  right  to  be  proud  of  our  country,  and  we  would 
be  blooming  chumps  if  we  weren't.  It  is  the  greatest 
and  grandest  country  the  sun  ever  shone  upon,  and  a 
fellow  fully  realizes  it  after  he  has  been  abroad  and 
traveled  around  over  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa.  I've 
been  sight-seeing  in  those  lands,  my  boy,  and  I  know 
whereof  I  speak." 

"You  are  thoroughly  American,  anyway,  Frank." 

"That's  right.  I  love  my  native  land  and  its  beauti- 
ful flag — Old  Glory!  I  never  knew  what  it  was  to 
feel  a  thrill  of  joy  that  was  absolutely  painful  till  I 
saw  the  Stars  and  Stripes  in  a  foreign  land.  The 
sight  blinded  me  with  tears  and  made  me  feel  it  would 
be  a  privilege  to  lay  down  my  life  in  defense  of  that 
starry  banner." 

"Well,  you're  a  queer  duck,  anyway!"  exclaimed 
Harry.  "I  never  saw  a  chap  before  who  seemed  cool 
as  an  iceberg  outside  and  had  a  heart  of  fire  in  his 
bosom." 

Frank  laughed. 

"Every  man  is  peculiar  in  his  own  way,"  he  said. 
"I  never  try  to  be  anything  different  than  I  am.  I  am 
disgusted  by  affectation." 


At  Lake  Tahoe.  243 

"We  have  found  Lake  Tahoe,  but  that  is  not  finding 
the  'buried  heiress,'  as  you  call  her." 

"But  we  will  find  her." 

"I  scarcely  think  it  will  be  an  easy  task." 

"Nor  do  I  think  so,  but  I  gave  George  Morris  my 
word,  and  I  am  going  to  keep  my  promise  to  him,  poor 
fellow !" 

"You  never  seem  to  consider  the  possibility  of  fail- 
ure, Frank." 

"The  ones  who  consider  the  possibility  of  failure  are 
those  who  fail,  old  fellow.  Those  who  succeed  are  the 
ones  who  never  think  of  failure — who  believe  they  can- 
not fail.  Confidence  in  one's  self  is  an  absolute 
requisite  in  the  battle  of  life." 

"There  is  such  a  thing  as  egotism." 

"Yes.  That  consists  in  bragging  about  what  you 
can  do.  It  is  most  offensive.  It  is  the  fellow  who 
does  things  without  boasting  who  cuts  ice  in  this 
world.  The  other  fellow  often  spends  his  time  in  tell- 
ing what  he  can  do,  but  never  does  much." 

"I  think  you  are  right ;  but  let's  get  down  nearer  the 

lake.     I've  heard  that  the  water  is  marvelously  clear." 

"It  is  so  clear  that  a  small  fish  may  be  seen  from 


244  At  Lake  Tahoe. 

the  surface,  though  the  fish  is  near  the  bottom  where 
the  lake  is  the  deepest/* 

"Then  it  can't  be  very  deep." 

"It  is,  nevertheless.  In  many  places  it  is  thirty  or 
forty  feet — even  more  than  that." 

"Then  who  invented  the  fish  story?" 

"The  fish  story  is  all  right,"  laughed  Merriwell.  "I 
know." 

"How  do  you  know?" 

"I've  been  here  before." 

"Here— at  Lake  Tahoe?" 

"Sure." 

"Well,  say!"  cried  Rattleton,  in  astonishment,  "I'd 
like  to  know  where  you  haven't  been !" 

"Oh,  there  are  lots  of  places  where  I  haven't  been, 
but  this  is  one  of  the  places  where  I  have  been.  That's 
all." 

"What  brought  you  here?" 

"I  came  here  in  pursuit  of  a  young  lady  in  whom  a 
friend  of  mine,  Bart  Hodge,  was  interested." 

"I  think  I  have  heard  you  speak  of  Hodge." 

"Yes,  he  was  my  chum  when  I  was  in  Fardale  Mili- 
tary Academy.  We  were  enemies  at  first,  and  Hodge 


At  Lake  Tahoe.  245 

did  his  best  to  down  me,  but  we  became  friendly  after 
that,  and  Hodge  turned  out  to  be  a  very  decent  fellow." 

"Where  is  he  now?"     . 

"Give  it  up.  Haven't  heard  from  Bart  in  a  long 
time.  Last  I  knew  he  was  out  here  in  the  West  some- 
where." 

The  boys  had  reached  Tahoe  on  their  wheels,  there 
being  a  road  to  the  lake.  The  road  was  not  a  very 
good  one  for  bicycle  traveling,  but  they  had  ridden  a 
portion  of  the  way. 

Now  they  had  left  the  road  and  pushed  down  to  the 
lake  by  a  winding  path,  along  which  they  had  been 
forced  to  carry  their  wheels  at  times. 

They  made  their  way  down  to  the  edge  of  a  bluff, 
from  the  verge  of  which  they  could  look  over  into  the 
water. 

"Say !  it  is  clear !"  cried  Harry. 

"I  told  you  so,"  smiled  Frank. 

"But — but — why,  it  almost  seems  to  magnify!  I 
can  count  the  pebbles  on  the  bottom.  Look  at  those 
tiny  fishes  swimming  around  there," 

In  truth  the  water  was  marvelously  clear,  and  things 
on  the  bottom  could  be  seen  almost  as  plainly  as.  if  the/ 
were  not  beneath  the  surface. 


246  At  Lake  Tahoe. 

"Why,  it  don't  seem  possible  that  a  boat  can  float 
on  it!"  broke  from  Harry. 

"It  is  something  like  floating  in  the  air." 

"Are  there  boats  to  be  obtained  near  here?" 

"There  are  a  number  of  boats  on  the  lake.  There 
once  was  a  man  near  here  by  the  name  of  Big  Gabe 
who  owned  a  boat." 

"Let's  get  it,  if  he  is  here  now.  I  want  to  take  a 
sail  on  this  lake.  How  do  we  find  Big  Gabe?" 

"I  don't  know  that  we'll  be  able  to  find  him  at  all. 
He  was  a  consumptive." 

"Oh,  then  he  may  be  dead?" 

"Not  from  consumption.  He  came  here  to  die,  but 
in  less  than  a  year  he  was  stronger  and  heartier  than 
he  had  ever  before  been,  and  he  was  so  lazy  that  he 
didn't  care  to  do  anything  but  lay  around  and  take  life 
easy.  He  said  he  was  going  to  stay  here  till  he  died, 
but  there  seemed  little  prospect  that  he'd  ever  die. 

TTg " 

At  this  moment  there  was  a  sudden  wild  snarl  behind 
them,  and,  before  they  could  turn,  each  lad  received  a 
powerful  thrust  that  sent  him  whirling  from  the  bluff 
to  fall  with  a  great  splash  into  the  water  below. 

Both  lads  had  Tv.-lled  their  bicycles  over  the  brink, 


At  Lake  Tahoe.  247 

so  the  wheels  fell  with  a  loud  splash  into  the  water 
which  washed  against  the  base  of  the  steep  rock. 

The  boys  themselves  had  been  sent  whirling  still 
farther  out,  and  they  sank  like  stones  when  they  struck 
the  water. 

But  they  came  up  quickly,  wondering  what  had  hap- 
pened. 

"Blate  glisters — no,  great  blisters!"  gurgled  Harry, 
as  he  spurted  water  like  a  whale.  "Where  are  we  at?" 

"Christmas!"  said  Frank.     "What  struck  us?" 

And  then,  on  the  top  of  the  bluff,  they  saw  a  creature 
that  was  dancing  and  howling  with  rage  and  satisfac- 
tion. 

It  was  Apollo,  the  dwarf. 

"May  I  be  hanged !"  exploded  Rattleton.  "It's  that 
thing!" 

"It  is!"  agreed  Frank;  "and  I  supposed  that  thing 
must  be  hundreds  of  miles  from  here." 

"Going  East." 

"Of  course." 

"Belmont  didn't  let  any  grass  grow  under  his  feet 
before  he  got  out." 

"Not  much." 

The  creature  on  the  bluff  danced  and  screamed  and 


248  At  Lake  Tahoe. 

waved  its  long  arms,  while  its  hideous  face  was  con- 
vulsed with  expressions  of  rage. 

"Oh,  I'd  like  to  get  at  him!"  grated  Frank. 

"Thank  you,  I'd  much  rather  keep  away !"  exclaimed 
Harry. 

Then  the  boys  started  to  swim  ashore. 

Suddenly  the  dwarf  began  throwing  stones  at  them. 
He  picked  up  huge  stones  from  the  ground  and  sent 
them  whizzing  through  the  air  with  great  force  and 
something  like  accuracy. 

"Well,  this  is  getting  rather  hot !"  exclaimed  Frank, 
as  a  huge  jagged  stone  shot  down  past  his  head  and 
sank  in  the  water. 

"Hot!"  gurgled  Rattleton.  "I  should  say  so- 
some!" 

"Lookout!" 

Another  huge  stone  struck  between  them. 

"If  that  had  hit  either  of  us,  it  would  have  fixed  us !" 
came  from  Frank. 

"You  bet!" 

"Swim,  old  fellow!     We  must  get  away." 

But  as  they  swam,  looking  for  a  place  to  go  ashore, 
the  dwarf  followed  along  the  top  of  the  bluff,  still  pelt- 


At  Lake  Tahoe.  249 

ing  them  with  stones,  while  he  uttered  those  savage 
cries. 

One  of  the  smaller  stones  struck  Merry  and  hurt 
him  not  a  little. 

"Wait!"  he  muttered.  "I'll  get  a  chance  at  you 
yet!" 

Then,  regardless  of  the  shower  of  stones,  he  started 
to  swim  in  toward  the  shore  where  he  saw  a  place  that 
they  could  get  out  of  the  water. 

But  another  stone  whizzed  down,  and  there  came  a 
broken,  strangling  cry  from  Harry. 

"What  happened,  old  fellow?"  asked  Frank,  who 
was  now  a  bit  in  advance.  "Did  the  cur  hit  you?" 

No  answer. 

Frank  looked  around,  and  found  Harry  had  disap- 
peared from  view. 

The  dwarf  on  the  bluff  danced  and  howled  with 
fierce  delight. 

As  quickly  as  he  could,  Frank  turned  about,  swam 
back  a  little  and  dived.  It  did  not  require  a  great  ef- 
fort to  go  down,  for  now  his  clothes  were  thoroughly 
wet,  and  he  sank  easily. 

As  soon  as  he  was  below  the  surface,  keeping  his 
eyes  open,  he  saw  his  friend  lying  on  the  bottom.  The 


250  At  Lake  Tahoe. 

water  was  so  clear  that  there  was  not  the  least  difficulty 
in  this. 

Down  Frank  went  till  he  reached  Harry,  whom  he 
grasped.  Planting  his  feet  on  the  bottom,  he  gave  a 
great  leap  and  shot  upward. 

The  water  was  not  more  than  eight  feet  deep,  and 
he  quickly  reached  the  surface,  immediately  striking 
for  the  shore. 

But  his  watersoaked  garments  and  Harry's  weight 
dragged  on  him,  and  it  was  a  desperate  battle  to  keep 
from  going  down  again. 

"You  must  do  it,  Merriwell !"  he  told  himself.  "It's 
your  only  show!  Pull  him  out  somehow!" 

Several  times  his  head  was  forced  below  the  surface 
and  it  seemed  that  the  struggle  was  over ;  but  he  would 
not  give  up,  and  he  would  not  let  go  his  hold  on  Harry. 

"Both  or  none!"  he  thought.  "If  I  can't  get  out 
with  him,  I'll  not  get  out  without  him!" 

The  dwarf  had  disappeared  from  the  bluff,  which 
was  a  fortunate  thing,  as  he  would  have  been  given  a 
fine  opportunity  to  pelt  them  with  rocks  as  Frank 
slowly  and  laboriously  swam  ashore.  Just  then,  if 
Merriwell  had  been  struck  on  the  head  by  a  stone,  it 
must  have  ended  the  whole  affair. 


At  Lake  Tahoe.  251 

"Oh,  if  my  clothes  were  off !"  panted  Frank.  "Then 
I  could  do  it.  I  must  do  it  anyway." 

He  wondered  how  badly  Harry  was  hurt,  but  it  was 
impossible  to  tell  till  the  shore  was  reached. 

The  water  did  not  seem  so  bouyant  as  it  should,  and 
he  almost  felt  that  there  was  a  force  dragging  him 
down. 

Purely  by  his  power  of  determination  he  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  rocks  and  dragging  himself  out  with 
his  burden,  when  he  sank  down  utterly  exhausted. 

"Thank  goodness!"  he  gasped.     "I  did  it!" 

He  had  not  been  there  many  moments  when  he  heard 
a  cry  above,  and,  looking  upward,  saw  the  dwarf  had 
returned  to  the  edge  of  the  bluff. 

The  dwarf  seemed  astonished  when  he  saw  the  boys 
had  reached  shore,  and  he  sent  a  stone  whistling  down 
at  them. 

Frank  dodged  the  missile,  and  then,  with  a  fresh 
feeling  of  strength,  hastened  up  the  rocks  toward  the 
top  of  the  bluff. 

Apollo  saw  the  boy  coming  and  immediately  took  to 
his  heels,  quickly  disappearing  from  view. 

Finding  the  dwarf  had  escaped,  Frank  turned  back, 
•lifted  Harry  in  his  arms,  and  again  mounted  the  rocks* 


252  At  Lake  Tahoe. 

He  reached  the  top  and  bore  his  friend  to  a  place 
where  he  could  rest  on  some  short  grass  where  he  was 
sheltered  from  the  sunlight. 

Then  Frank  looked  for  Harry's  injury. 

Rattleton  had  been  struck  on  the  head  by  a  stone, 
which  had  cut  a  short  gash  in  the  scalp,  and  from  this 
blood  was  flowing. 

"It  doesn't  seem  very  bad,"  said  Frank,  as  he  ex- 
amined the  wound.  "I  rather  think  it  stunned  him, 
and  that  is  all.  He  was  not  under  water  long  enough 
to  drown." 

Frank  took  a  handkerchief  from  his  pocket  and 
wrung  it  out,  intending  to  bind  up  Harry's  head 
with  it. 

At  that  moment,  happening  to  glance  up,  he  saw  a 
pale,  horrible  face  peering  out  from  a  mass  of  shrub- 
bery. 

It  was  the  face  of  Apollo,  the  dwarf. 

"That  creature  still  here!"  grated  Merriwell,  as  he 
sprang  up.  "If  he  isn't  driven  away,  he  may  find 
a  way  to  injure  us  further." 

Then  he  ran  after  Apollo,  who  quickly  disap- 
peared. 

Frank  pursued  the  dwarf  hotly,  hearing  the  little 


At  Lake  Tahoe. 


253 


wretch  crashing  along  for  some  distance,  but  Apollo 
succeeded  in  keeping  out  of  sight,  and,  at  last,  he 
could  be  heard  no  more. 

Merry  was  disgusted.  He  spent  some  time  in 
searching  for  Apollo,  and  then  returned  to  the  spot 
where  he  had  left  Harry. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

A  RACE  ON   THE   LAKE. 

To  Frank's  amazement,  he  found  Rattleton  reclining 
in  a  very  comfortable  position,  with  the  handkerchief 
bound  about  his  head. 

"Hello,  old  boy!"  Merriwell  cheerfully  called.  "I 
reckon  you  are  all  right,  for  you  are  able  to  do  up 
your  own  wound." 

"I  say,  Frank,"  came  eagerly  but  weakly  from  Rat- 
tleton, "what  has  become  of  her  ?" 

"Her?    Whom?" 

"The  fairy,  the  nymph,  the  beautiful  queen  of  the 
woods!  She  was  here  a  few  moments  ago — she  was 
with  me." 

"By  Jove!  that  crack  on  the  head  has  knocked  him 
daffy!"  thought  Merriwell.  "He's  off  his  trolley 
sure!" 

"Why  don't  you  answer  me?"  Harry  impatiently 
demanded.  "I  closed  my  eyes  but  a  moment,  and 
when  I  opened  them  again  she  was  gone." 

"I  hope  you  are  not  referring  to  the  dwarf,"  laughed 


A  Race  on  the  Lake.  255 

Frank,  lightly.  "I  hope  you  do  not  mean  him  when 
you  talk  about  a  fairy,  nymph  and  beautiful  queen  of 
the  woods?" 

"No,  no!  Of  course  I  do  not  mean  that  horrible 
creature!  I  mean  the  girl — the  girl  who  was  here!" 

"There  has  been  no  girl  here." 

"What  ?  I  know  there  has !  I  saw  her,  although  it 
seemed  like  a  dream.  I  saw  her  before  I  could  fully 
open  my  eyes.  She  was  kneeling  here  beside  me, 
and  she  was  so  beautiful!" 

"My  dear  fellow,"  said  Merriwell,  gently,  "that  tap 
on  the  head  has  mixed  you  somewhat — there's  no 
doubt  about  it." 

Harry  made  a  feeble,  impatient  gesture. 

"You  think  I  am  off/'  he  said;  "but  I  am  not.  I 
tell  you  I  saw  a  girl — a  girl  with  blue  eyes  and  golden 
hair.  Her  cheeks  were  brown  as  berries,  but  the  tint 
of  health  was  in  them.  And  her  hands  were  so  soft 
and  tender  and  warm!" 

Frank  whistled. 

"I'm  afraid  you  are  hurt  worse  than  I  thought,"  he 
said,  with  no  small  concern. 

"Oh,  scrate  Gott!"  spluttered  Harry.  "I  am  not 
hurt  at  all!  I  tell  you  I  saw  her — do  you  hear?" 


256  A  Race  on  the  Lake. 

"Yes,  I  hear." 

"But  you  don't  believe  me,  and  that  is  what  makes 
me  hot" 

"Keep  cool." 

"How  can  I?    Look  here,  look  at  my  head." 

"Yes,  you  did  a  very  good  job.  I  was  about  to  do 
it  up  when  I  saw  that  dwarf  again,  and  I  chased  him." 

"I  didn't  do  it  up  at  all." 

"No?" 

"Not  on  your  retouched  negative!" 

"Then  who " 

"The  girl — the  girl,  I  tell  you!  When  I  came  to 
my  senses,  I  felt  some  person  at  work  over  me,  and 
through  my  eyelashes  I  saw  her  kneeling  here  at  my 
side.  I  tell  you,  Frank,  she  was  a  dream — a  vision ! 
I  thought  I  was  in  heaven,  and  I  scarcely  dared 
breathe  for  fear  she  would  disappear." 

Frank  was  watching  Harry  closely. 

"Hanged  if  the  fellow  doesn't  believe  it!"  muttered 
Merry. 

Rattleton's  ears  were  sharp,  and  he  caught  the 
words. 

"Believe  it!"  he  weakly  shouted — "I  know  it!  I 
not  only  saw  her,  but  I  felt  her  hands  as  she  gently 


A  Race  on  the  Lake.  257 

brushed  back  my  wet  hair  and  tied  this  bandage  in 
place.  Look  at  it,  Merry,  old  fellow;  I  couldn't  have 
put  it  on  like  that — you  know  I  couldn't." 

"Well,  it  would  have  been  quite  a  trick." 

"I  think  she  saw  us  thrown  into  the  water,  for  she 
murmured  something  about  it.  She  must  live  near 
here,  Frank." 

Harry  was  fluttering  with  suppressed  eagerness. 

"If  you  saw  such  a  girl,  it  is  likely  that  she  does." 

"If  I  saw  such  a  girl!  Oh,  smoly  hoke!  will  you 
never  be  convinced?" 

"Perhaps  so,"  nodded  Frank,  as  He  examined  the 
ground. 

"What  are  you  looking  for?" 

"Her  trail." 

"If  you  were  an  Indian,  you  might  find  it;  but  no 
white  man  could  find  it  here,  as  the  ground  is  not 
favorable." 

"I  think  that  is  right,"  admitted  Frank,  as  he  gave 
over  the  attempt.  "If  you  saw  such  a  girl,  I  have  a 
fancy  I  know  who  she  is." 

Harry  started  up,  shouting: 

"You  do?" 

"Sure." 


258  A  Race  on  the  Lake. 

"Then  you  saw  her  when  you  visited  the  lake  be- 
fore?" 

"No." 

"How  is  it  that  you  are  sure  you  know  who  she  is  if 
you  never  saw  her  before?" 

"You  are  little  numb  just  now,  Harry,  or  you 
would  have  thought  of  it  yourself.  She  must  be  the 
buried  heiress." 

Rattleton  caught  his  breath. 

"Right  you  are!"  he  exclaimed.  "Why,  it  must  be 
her!" 

"It  strikes  me  that  way,"  nodded  Frank. 

"By  Jove!"  palpitated  Harry;  "she  is  a  peafect 
perch — I  mean  a  perfect  peach!  Merry,  old  chap,  she 
takes  the  bun!" 

Frank  laughed. 

"It's  not  often  you  get  this  way,  Rattles,"  he  said. 
"She  must  have  hit  you  hard." 

"Right  where  I  live,  old  man.    I'd  like  to  win  her." 

"But  you  must  not  forget  she  is  an  heiress." 

"Oh,  come  off!  That  doesn't  cut  any  ice  in  this 
case.  She  was  dressed  like  anything  but  an  heiress, 
and " 


A  Race  on  the  Lake.  259 

"You  know  why.  She  is  living  like  anything  ex- 
cept an  heiress,  and  still  she  is  one,  just  as  hard." 

"And  that  infernal  dwarf  is  here  searching  for  her !" 

"Sure." 

"We  supposed  he  had  gone  East,  with  Bernard 
Belmont." 

"Yes." 

"Instead  of  that,  Belmont  sent  him  here  to  find  the 
girl." 

"Correct  me,  noble  dook." 

Harry  started  up,  in  great  excitement. 

"We  must  defend  her,  Frank — we  must  protect  her 
from  that  wretched  creature !"  he  cried.  "I  am  ready/' 

"I  see  you  are,"  smiled  Merry.  "The  thought  that 
she  might  be  in  danger  has  aroused  you  more  than  any 
amount  of  tonics.  We  can't  protect  her  unless  we  can 
find  her." 

"And  you  said  a  short  time  ago  that  we  would  not 
fail  to  find  her." 

"\Ye  will  not,  and  I  hope  we  may  be  able  to  find 
her  in  time  to  be  of  assistance  to  her.  To  begin  with, 
we  must  get  our  bicycles  out  of  the  lake.  It  is  a  for- 
tunate thing  they  fell  in  the  water." 

"Fortunate?" 


260  A  Race  on  the  Lake. 

"Yes." 

"Why?" 

"It  is  pretty  certain  the  dwarf  would  have  smashed 
them  if  they  had  not." 

"That's  right.  I  never  thought  of  it.  He  would 
have  had  a  fine  opportunity.  It  is  fortunate." 

"We  can  remove  our  clothes  and  hang  them  in  the 
sunshine  to  dry  while  we  are  getting  the  wheels." 

A  look  of  horror  came  to  Harry's  face. 

"No,  no!"  he  cried,  wildly.     "We  can't  do  that!" 

"Why  not?" 

"The  girl — she  is  somewhere  near  here.  What  if 
she  should  see  us?  Good  gracious;  it  hakes  my  mart 
— I  mean  it  makes  my  heart  stand  still  to  think  of  it !" 

Harry's  expression  of  horror  and  the  way  in  which 
he  uttered  the  words  caused  Frank  to  shout  with 
laughter. 

"Oh,  my  dear  fellow!"  he  cried;  "if  you  could  do 
that  on  the  stage !  It  would  be  great !  You'd  make  a 
great  hit!" 

For  once  in  his  life  Harry  failed  to  see  the  humor- 
ous side  of  a  thing,  and  he  did  not  crack  a  smile. 

"What's  the  use  to  '-ha-ha'  that  way,  Merry?"  he 


A  Race  on  the  Lake.  261 

cried.  "You  wouldn't  want  a  thing  of  that  kind  to 
happen,  and  you  know  it." 

"Of  course  not,  old  man,  so  we'll  have  to  keep  on 
part  of  our  clothing  while  we  are  recovering  the 
wheels." 

They  approached  the  edge  of  the  bluff,  and,  as  they 
did  so,  a  canoe  shot  out  from  the  mouth  of  a  small 
cove  nearly  half  a  mile  away. 

There  was  a  single  person  in  the  canoe  and,  imme- 
diately on  seeing  her,  Harry  cried: 

"There  she  is — that  is  the  girl !" 

It  was  a  girl,  and  she  was  handling  the  paddle  with 
the  skill  of  an  expert,  sending  the  light  craft  flying 
over  the  bosom  of  the  lake. 

"We  must  call  to  her!"  exclaimed  Harry.  "She 
must  stop!" 

"We  can't  stop  her  by  shouting  to  her,  Rattles,"  de- 
clared Frank,  quickly.  "It  would  frighten  her,  that's 
all." 

"But — but  what  can  we  do?" 

"Unless  we  can  find  a  boat,  absolutely  nothing." 

Rattleton  was  desperate. 

"It's  terrible,  Frank !"  he  cried.    "We  may  lose  the 


262  A  Race  on  the  Lake. 

only  chance  of  finding  her!  At  least,  she  should  be 
warned !" 

"Look!"  directed  Merriwell,  who  was  watching  the 
girl  closely.  "She  is  looking  back!  See  her  use  the 
paddle  now!  She  is  alarmed!  She  makes  the  canoe 
fly!  She  makes  it  spin  along  at  great  leaps!  Surely 
something  has  frightened  her !  What  is  it  ?" 

Harry's  excitement  grew. 

"It's  something,  that's  sure.  She  is  using  all  her 
strength!  How  beautifully  she  handles  the  paddle! 
See  the  sunshine  strike  her  hair !  It  is  like  gold !  And 
now — look!  look!" 

Around  a  point  just  beyond  the  cove  came  a  boat  in 
which  two  men  were  seated.  Both  men  were  pad- 
dling, but  the  boat  was  heavy,  and  they  were  not  gain- 
ing on  the  fleeing  girl. 

"Great  Scott !"  exclaimed  Frank.  "It  is  Apollo,  the 
dwarf!" 

"Yes;  and  the  other — the  other  is " 

"Bernard   Belmont!" 

"Then  he  is  here — he  did  not  go  East  at  all.  That 
was  a  blind." 

"Sure  enough.     They  are  here  to  find  the  girl." 

"To  put  her  out  of  the  way,  perhaps!" 


A  Race  on  the  Lake.  263 

"It  would  be  like  that  man.  If  he  gets  hold  of  her, 
some  terrible  accident  is  likely  to  happen  to  Mildred 
Morris.  But  they  are  not  gaining;  she  is  keeping  the 
lead  with  ease." 

"Yes,"  nodded  Frank,  satisfaction  on  his  face;  "she 
will  not  be  taken." 

The  boys  watched  the  race  with  great  interest,  see- 
ing the  girl  draw  farther  and  farther  from  her  pur- 
suers, till,  at  last,  they  gave  over  the  attempt  in  dis- 
gust, although  they  still  paddled  along  after  her. 

She  headed  for  a  distant  shore,  and  Frank  and  Harry 
did  not  cease  to  watch  till  both  boats  had  disappeared 
in  the  shadow  of  the  mountains  and  timber. 

"There,"  said  Merriwell — "over  there  somewhere 
must  be  the  present  home  of  that  girl.  It  is  a  wild 
region,  for  I  was  there  once  myself,  and  I  know.  We 
will  go  there  and  see  what  we  can  find." 

"But  we  must  recover  our  wheels  first." 

"That  is  right ;  and  now  we  can  remove  our  clothes 
to  do  so,  without  fear  of  being  seen.  Come  on." 

It  was  no  simple  task  to  get  the  bicycles  out  of  the 
lake,  but  the  thought  of  the  girl's  possible  danger 
seemed  to  have  restored  Harry's  strength,  and,  be- 


264  A  Race  on  the  Lake. 

tween  them,  they  succeeded,  after  many  efforts,  in  ac- 
complishing their  object. 

In  the  meantime  their  clothes,  which  had  been  hung 
where  sun  and  wind  would  reach  them,  had  partly 
dried. 

"We  can't  wait  for  them  to  get  entirely  dry,"  said 
Frank.  "We'll  put  them  on  just  as  they  are.  No- 
body ever  gets  cold  around  Lake  Tahoe  at  this  time  of 
year." 

Harry  did  not  object,  but  the  garments  were  just 
wet  enough  so  it  was  not  an  easy  thing  to  get  into 
them.  This,  however,  was  done,  after  a  severe  strug- 
gle and  a  small  amount  of  startling  and  highly  pic- 
turesque language  from  Rattleton. 

"Woo!"  said  Harry.  "If  we  had  a  fine  road,  we 
could  get  on  our  bikes  and  send  them  spinning  at 
such  speed  that  the  breeze  would  soon  dry  us;  but 
now — how  do  you  propose  to  get  over  across  this 
part  of  the  lake,  anyhow?" 

"Well,"  said  Frank,  "you  heard  me  speak  of  Big 
Gabe?" 

"Of  course." 

"His  cabin  was  not  far  from  here," 

"What  of  that?" 


A  Race  on  the  Lake.  265 

"He  owned  a  sailboat." 

"Wheejiz— no,  jeewhiz!  that's  the  stuff!  That's 
what  we  want!" 

"I  rather  thought  so.  With  the  aid  of  a  sailboat 
we  can  get  across  the  lake  easily." 

"Let's  look  for  Mr.  Big  Gabe  without  delay." 

Frank  took  the  lead,  and  they  went  in  search  of  the 
big  hermit,  trundling  their  wheels  or  carrying  them, 
as  was  necessary. 

The  modern  bicycle  is  so  light,  although  it  is  strong 
and  stanch,  that  it  may  be  carried  almost  anywhere, 
and  so  the  task  of  taking  the  wheels  along  was  not  as 
difficult  as  it  might  have  been. 

Within  half  an  hour  they  came  in  sight  of  Big  Gabe's 
hut,  which  lay  on  the  shore  of  the  little  cove  out  of 
which  the  girl  had  sped  in  the  light  canoe. 

"It  was  from  this  very  spot  that  I  first  saw  that 
building,"  said  Frank.  "I'll  never  forget  it.  Bart 
Hodge  was  with  me.  When  we  drew  nearer,  Big 
Gabe  himself  came  out  and  threatened  to  shoot  us, 
thinking  we  were  trying  to  steal  his  boat,  or  something 
of  that  sort." 

"Where  is  the  boat  now?" 


266  A  Race  on  the  Lake. 

"There  it  is,  down  where  the  tree  overhangs  the 
lake.  See?" 

They  could  see  the  single  mast  and  stern  of  the  boat. 

"Good  luck!"  cried  Rattleton.  "With  the  aid  of 
that,  we  won't  do  a  thing  but  make  a  lively  cruise 
across  the  lake,  for  the  wind  is  rising,  and  we'll  have 
a  fair  breeze." 

Frank  was  looking  steadily  toward  the  hut,  and 
there  was  something  like  a  frown  on  his  face,  which 
his  companion  observed. 

"What's  the  matter?"  Harry  asked. 

"The  hut  looks  deserted.  The  first  time  I  saw  it 
smoke  was  coming  out  of  the  chimney.  Now  the 
chimney  is  giving  forth  no  smoke,  and  the  door  stands 
open.  It  doesn't  look  as  if  any  one  had  been  around 
the  place  for  a  year." 

"That's  right,"  admitted  Harry,  anxiously.  "But 
the  boat  is  there." 

"It  may  be  in  bad  condition,  else  why  didn't  Bel- 
mont  and  the  dwarf  take  it?" 

"There  was  no  breeze  a  short  time  ago,  and  they 
could  not  have  sailed  it  across  the  lake.  Besides,  they 


A  Race  on  the  Lake.  267 

were  in  pursuit  of  the  girl  in  the  canoe,  and  they 
hoped  to  overtake  her  with  the  aid  of  a  boat  they  could 
row  or  paddle." 

"Your  reasoning  is  all  right,  my  boy.     We  will  hope 
the  sailboat  is  all  right,  too.     Come  on." 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
THE  HERMIT'S  POWER. 

Around  the  shore  of  the  cove  the  two  boys  went 
toward  the  hut  As  they  approached  it  Frank  placed 
his  hands  to  his  mouth  in  the  form  of  a  horn,  and 
shouted : 

"Oh,  Gabe !    Oh,  Mr.  Blake !" 

His  voice  came  back  in  a  distinct  echo  from  a  dis- 
tant rocky  steep,  but  that  was  all  the  answer  he  re- 
ceived. The  rising  breeze  stirred  the  open  door,  seem- 
ing to  wave  it  at  the  boys  in  derision,  but  the  air  of 
loneliness  about  the  place  was  oppressive. 

"There's  no  one  about/'  said  Frank. 

"Not  a  soul,"  agreed  Harry. 

They  reached  the  cabin  and  looked  in.  It  had  not 
been  occupied  for  two  months,  at  least. 

"Big  Gabe  is  dead  or  gone,"  said  Merriwell,  with 
sincere  regret.  "I  hoped  to  find  him  here." 

"Well,  let's  see  if  his  boat  is  all  right,"  came  anx- 
iously from  Rattleton.  "That  is  what  we  want  to 
know  most" 


The  Hermit's  Power.  269 

Leaving  their  -wheels  leaning  against  a  tree,  they 
hastened  to  the  spot  where  the  boat  lay  moored  at  a 
short  distance  from  the  shore, 

"We'll  have  to  swim  to  get  it,"  said  Frank.  "It  is 
plain  that  other  boat  in  which  we  saw  Belmont  and 
the  dwarf  was  used  by  Gabe  to  get  from  the  shore  to 
the  sailboat." 

Frank  stripped  off  quickly  and  plunged  into  the  lake, 
although  the  water  was  cold,  as  he  well  knew  from  re- 
cent experience. 

Out  to  the  boat  he  swam,  came  up  by  her  stern,  and 
got  in  without  difficulty,  which  was  a  very  neat  thing 
to  do,  as  the  average  boy  would  have  tried  to  crawl 
in  over  the  side,  with  the  probable  result  of  upsetting 
the  boat. 

"How's  she  look,  Merry?"  called  Harry,  anxiously. 

"O.  K.,"  answered  Frank.  "There's  some  water  in 
her,  but  it  is  a  small  amount,  and  the  sails  are  well 
reefed.  They  may  be  somewhat  rotten,  but  we'll  be 
careful  of  them." 

"How  are  we  to  get  our  wheels  on  board?" 

Frank  stood  up  and  surveyed  the  bottom,  which  he 
could  do  with  ease,  because  of  the  unruffled  surface 
of  the  cove,  as  the  wind  did  not  touch  it  there. 


270  The  Hermit's  Power. 

"There's  a  channel  leading  up  to  that  large  rock," 
he  said.  "I'll  bring  the  boat  up  there." 

"Look  out  to  not  get  her  aground  so  she  can't  be 
brought  off,"  warned  Harry.  "That  would  be  a 
scrape." 

"I'll  look  out." 

Frank  did  not  find  it  difficult  to  get  up  the  anchor, 
and  then,  with  the  aid  of  a  long  oar,  he  guided  the 
boat  to  the  rock. 

In  the  meantime,  Harry  had  hastened  to  bring  the 
bicycles  down  to  the  cove,  and  they  were  all  ready  to 
be  taken  on  board.  This  was  accomplished,  and  Harry 
followed  them. 

"Now  away,  away,"  he  cried.  "We'll  set  our  course 
for  yonder  shore." 

"Of  course,"  punned  Frank,  and  Rattleton  made  a 
grimace. 

"Bad — very  bad/'  he  said.  "That  habit  has  been 
the  cause  of  more  sudden  deaths  than  anything  else  of 
which  I  know." 

Frank  laughed,  and  they  pushed  the  boat  from  the 
great  rock. 

Rattleton  set  about  unfurling  the  sails  and  getting 
them  ready  for  hoisting. 


The  Hermit's  Power.  271 

"Are  you  a  sailor,  Merry?"  he  asked,  as  if  struck 
by  a  new  thought. 

"Am  I  ?"  cried  Frank.  "Ha !  ha !  also  ho !  ho !  Wail 
a  wee,  and  you  shall  see  what  you  shall  see." 

"Then  you  have  been  to  sea?" 

Frank  gave  the  other  boy  a  look  of  reproach. 

"And  you  had  the  nerve  to  do  that  after  saying  what 
you  did  about  the  bad  pun  I  made  a  short  time  ago  1" 
he  cried.  "Rattleton,  your  crust  is  something  awful !" 

They  made  preparations  for  running  up  the  sail, 
saw  that  the  tiller  was  all  right  and  the  rudder  worked 
properly,  and  looked  after  other  things.  The  bicycles 
were  in  the  way,  but  that  could  not  be  helped. 

Harry  aided  Frank  in  setting  the  sail,  and,  with 
the  aid  of  the  oar,  the  boat  was  worked  out  to  a  point 
where  they  could  feel  the  breeze. 

"By  Jove!  this  is  rather  jolly,"  commented  Rattle- 
ton,  as  they  began  to  make  headway.  "With  a  fair 
wind,  we'll  run  over  there  in  a  short  time,  and  then — 
then  if  we  can  find  that  girl !" 

"My  boy,  your  face  is  aglow  with  rapture  at  the 
thought,"  smiled  Frank.  "You  have  been  hit  a  gen- 
uine heart  blow.  Look  out  that  it  doesn't  knock  you 
out." 


272  The  Hermit's  Power. 

Away  they  went,  making  fair  speed,  although  the 
boat  was  decidedly  crude  and  cumbersome. 

The  mountainous  region  beyond  the  lake  was  wild 
and  picturesque,  but,  fortunately,  the  boys  found  a 
cut  that  led  down  to  the  very  shore  of  the  lake. 

They  reached  a  spot  where  they  could  run  up  close 
to  the  shore,  which  enabled  them  to  take  their  bi- 
cycles off  without  trouble. 

The  boat  was  made  fast,  the  sails  having  been  reefed 
once  more,  and  then  the  lads  deliberately  mounted  their 
wheels  and  attempted  to  ride  into  the  cut. 

This  was  not  so  difficult  as  might  be  thought,  for 
they  found  what  seemed  to  be  an  antelope  "run"  that 
led  from  the  shore,  and  they  pedaled  along  that  path. 

"It  was  somewhere  in  this  region  that  we  found  the 
retreat  of  the  gang  of  money  makers  when  I  was  here 
before,"  said  Frank. 

"What's  that?    A  gang  that  made  money?" 

"Yes." 

"I  suppose  they  had  some  kind  of  an  old  hut  here- 
abouts in  which  they  did  the  work?" 

"They  had  a  cave — a  most  wonderful  cave  it  was 
said  to  be.  That  cave  had  never  been  fully  explored, 
and By  Jove!" 


The  Hermit's  Power.  273 

Frank  interrupted  himself  with  the  exclamation,  a 
strange  look  having  come  to  his  face. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Harry. 

"I  have  an  idea." 

"Put  us  on." 

"That  cave,  my  boy — that  cave!" 

"What  about  it?" 

"It  is  said  that  Carter  Morris,  the  queer  old  miner, 
lives  in  some  sort  of  an  underground  place." 

"That's  right!"  cried  Rattleton,  catching  Frank's 
meaning,  and  growing  excited. 

"He  has  some  sort  of  mysterious  mine." 

"Sure,  old  man!" 

"And  he  wrote  Bernard  Belmont  that  Mildred  Mor- 
ris was  buried  from  the  sight  of  the  world." 

"Now,  you  believe " 

"I  do — I  believe  it  possible  that  man  may  be  oc- 
cupying the  very  cave  once  occupied  by  the  counter- 
feiters." 

Rattleton  was  following  Frank  along  the  path,  and 
he  nearly  ran  Merriwell  down  in  his  excitement. 

"You  know  the  way  to  that  cave?"  he  shouted. 
"You  can  find  it?" 

"I  might  be  able  to  do  so,  although  I  am  not  sure 


274  The  Hermit's  Power. 

of  it.  I  can  try.  Even  if  we  find  the  cave,  we  may 
not  find  the  man  and  girl  there." 

"It  is  a  chance,  anyway.     It's  the  best  we  can  do." 

After  they  had  proceeded  into  the  mountains  some 
distance,  Frank  began  to  look  for  a  slope  they  could 
scale,  so  they  might  get  out  of  the  pass. 

It  was  finally  found,  and,  with  their  wheels  on  their 
backs,  they  labored  to  the  top.  Getting  down  on  the 
other  side  was  even  more  difficult,  but  they  succeeded. 

Then  Frank  led  Harry  a  wild  chase,  till  Rattleton 
was  pretty  well  played  out.  His  head  had  ceased  to 
bleed,  and  he  had  removed  the  handkerchief,  but  he 
could  feel  that  the  blow  had  taken  not  a  little  of  the 
stamina  out  of  him. 

"How  long  are  you  going  to  keep  this  up,  Merry  ?" 
he  asked. 

"We  must  be  somewhere  near  that  cave,"  declared 
Frank.  "It  is  getting  toward  night.  I  hoped  to  be 
fortunate  and  find  it  before  dark." 

"If  we  don't " 

"There's  another  day  coming.  We  have  hard  bread 
and  smoked  beef  in  the  carriers,  and  we  can  find  water 
here.  We're  not  nearly  as  bad  off  as  we  were  oxj  the 
Utah  desert." 


The  Hermit's  Power.  275 

"That's  right.  That  was  a  bad  fix,  but  we  pulled 
out  of  it  all  right.  If  our  clothes  were  somewhat  drier 
I  could  regard  the  approach  of  night  with  greater 
complaisance." 

"Our  clothes  are  nearly  dry,  and  they  will  be  much 
more  so  in  two  hours." 

They  continued  the  restless  search,  Frank  seeming 
utterly  tireless.  Rattleton  admired  him  for  his  resist- 
less energy  and  unwavering  determination  and  confi- 
dence. 

Fortune  must  have  smiled  on  them,  for,  as  they  were 
making  their  way  along  a  narrow  cut,  they  turned  a 
short  corner  and  beheld  the  dark  mouth  of  a  cave  just 
ahead  of  them. 

Both  lads  stopped  and  stood  beside  their  wheels,  ut- 
tering exclamations  of  satisfaction. 

"Is  that  it,  Frank?"  asked  Harry. 

"It  may  be  one  of  the  entrances  to  the  old  cave  of 
the  counterfeiters,"  answered  Merry.  "That  cave  has 
several  mouths.  This  is  not  the  one  I  saw,  but " 

"It  is  a  cave,  and  it  may  be  the  one  we  are  search- 
ing for.  Come  on !" 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?" 

"Go  in." 


276  The  Hermit's  Power. 

"We  can't  go  in  without  torches." 

"That's  right — dead  right !  Was  so  excited  I  didn't 
think  of  that.  But — hooray! — we  have  found  it!" 

"Don't  be  so  sure  yet.     We'll  go  up  and  look  in." 

They  approached  the  mouth  of  the  cave. 

Suddenly,  as  they  came  near,  there  was  a  roar  from 
within,  and  out  of  the  cave  rushed  a  man  whose  long 
hair  and  beard  were  white,  and  whose  clothes  were 
rude  and  worn. 

The  boys  halted  in  amazement,  staring  at  this  man, 
who  also  stopped. 

Frank  spoke  to  Harry : 

"It  must  be  Carter  Morris!" 

"It  is!"  cried  the  old  man,  whose  ears  had  caught 
the  words.  "How  do  you  know  me  ?  What  right  have 
you  to  know  my  name?  I  am  buried — buried  from 
the  world!" 

"Crazy  as  a  bedbug!"  whispered  Rattleton. 

"Oh,  crazy,  am  I !"  sneered  the  man,  much  to  Har- 
ry's astonishment,  for  it  had  not  seemed  possible  he 
could  hear  that  whisper.  "That's  what  they  think — 
the  fools!" 

Rattleton  clutched  Frank's  wrist. 

"Look,"  he  panted ;  "she  is  coming !     There  she  is !" 


The  Hermit's  Power.  277 

Out  of  the  darkness  within  the  mouth  of  the  cave 
advanced  the  strange  girl  they  had  seen  in  the  canoe. 
She  was  hatless,  and  she  looked  marvelously  pretty 
with  her  golden  hair  hanging  about  her  ears  and 
reaching  down  upon  her  shoulders. 

"Well,  she  is  a  fairy!"  admitted  Merriwell.  "If 
you  win  that,  you'll  be  a  lucky  lad,  Rattles." 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!"  harshly  laughed  the  man,  without  a 
trace  of  mirth  in  face  or  voice.  "That  is  all  they  think 
of,  the  fools !  That  is  what  brings  them  here !  They 
know  you  are  rich,  my  dear — they  know  it !  And  they 
seek  to  win  you!  But  you  are  dead  to  the  world — • 
dead  and  buried!" 

"Mr.  Morris,"  said  Frank,  speaking  quietly,  "we 
have  a  message  for  the  young  lady." 

"Bah!"  cried  the  man. 

"It  is  from  her  brother,"  said  Frank. 

"Bah!"  repeated  the  hermit 

But  the  girl  started  forward,  crying : 

"My  brother — what  do  you  know  of  him?" 

The  man  put  out  his  hand  and  held  her  back. 

"It  is  a  trick,"  he  declared — "a  shallow  trick !  They 
think  to  fool  you  that  way.  Don't  listen  to  them, 
child!  Let  me  talk  to  them." 


278  The  Hermit's  Power. 

Then  he  turned  on  the  boys,  his  face  dark  with 
anger. 

"Go  away  from  here!"  he  cried.  "Every  moment 
you  remain  here  your  lives  are  in  danger !  If  you  care 
to  live,  go  away  at  once!" 

The  girl  looked  frightened. 

"We  can't  go  away  till  we  have  delivered  our  mes- 
sage," said  Frank,  calmly,  as  he  started  forward. 

"Back!"  cried  the  strange  old  man,  flinging  out  his 
hand  with  a  warning  gesture.  "It  means  death  if  you 
advance  another  step!" 

The  girl  looked  more  frightened  than  ever,  and  the 
boys  halted  again. 

"The  old  pirate!"  whispered  Harry.  "We  must 
save  her  from  him  somehow,  Frank!  I  know  he  is 
detaining  her  against  her  will." 

Again  that  harsh,  mirthless  laugh. 

"You  know  a  great  deal,"  sneered  the  man;  "but 
you  do  not  know  enough  to  go  away  and  save  your 
lives!  You  do  not  know  my  power,  but  you  shall  feel 
it!" 

The  girl  cried  out  and  started  to  lift  a  hand.     Then 


The  Hermit's  Power.  279 

the  man  stepped  to  the  right  and  touched  the  wall  of 
stone. 

To  Frank  and  Harry  it  seemed  that  the  mountains 
fell  on  them  and  beat  them  down  with  a  great  blow 
that  stretched  them  helpless  and  senseless  on  th* 

ground! 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

RECOVERY. 

With  a  feeling  of  numbness  and  pain  in  every  limb 
and  every  part  of  his  body,  Frank  Merriwell  stirred 
and  tried  to  sit  up.  His  strength  seemed  to  be  gone, 
and  he  wondered  at  his  weakness. 

"What — what  does  it  mean  ?"  he  asked  himself,  puz- 
zled. 

There  was  a  cloud  on  his  brain,  and,  for  the  time, 
he  did  not  remember  what  had  happened.  He  realized 
he  was  lying  on  the  ground,  and  he  wondered  if  he 
had  been  there  long. 

After  a  time  he  turned  his  head  a  bit,  and  close  be- 
side him  he  saw  Harry  Rattleton,  stretched  on  his 
back,  his  arms  outspread,  his  face  ghastly  pale. 

A  chill  of  horror  seized  upon  MerriweH's  heart. 

Why  didn't  Harry  move?  Why  were  his  eyes 
closed?  Why  was  his  face  so  white? 

There  was  something  horrible  and  awe-inspiring 
about  those  rigid  limbs  and  that  ghastly  face. 

"He  is  dead!" 


Recovery.  281 

He  succeeded  in  speaking  the  words  aloud,  although 
his  voice  was  weak  and  faint.  The  sound  startled  him, 
and,  with  a  mighty  effort,  he  lifted  himself  to  one 
elbow. 

"Harry!"  he  panted,  thickly — "Harry,  wake  up!" 

Still  no  stir. 

"Harry,  Harry,  are  you  asleep?" 

Rattleton  remained  motionless. 

Holding  himself  thus,  Frank  watched,  but  he  could 
not  see  that  the  bosom  of  his  friend  rose  and  fell  at 
all — he  could  not  see  that  Harry  breathed. 

Surely  that  pallid  face  was  not  the  face  of  a  living 
person!  It  had  the  stamp  of  death  upon  it! 

"Merciful  goodness!"  whispered  Frank,  as  he 
dragged  himself  nearer.  "I  know — I  am  sure  some 
frightful  thing  has  happened  to  us !  But  I  do  not  seem 
to  remember." 

He  paused  and  stared  about  Sunset  light  was  on 
the  snow-capped  peaks  of  the  Sierras,  and  away  up 
there  they  were  dazzling  to  the  eye;  but  there  were 
deep  shadows  below — black  shadows  in  the  heart  of 
Frank  Merriwell. 

"The  mountains!"  he  faintly  murmured — "they  are 
all  around  us!  This  is  not  the  desert — no,  no!  We 


382  Recovery. 

were  not  overcome  by  hunger  and  thirst  Something 
— something  else  struck  us  down!" 

He  lifted  one  hand  to  his  head,  which  was  so  numb 
and  felt  so  lifeless.  What  was  the  trouble? 

Concentrating  all  his  faculties,  he  forced  himself  to 
think.  Then  he  seemed  to  remember. 

"The  girl !"  he  faintly  exclaimed — "we  were  search- 
ing for  her!  We  were  trying  to  find  the  cave,  and 
— we  found  it!" 

He  remembered  at  last.  He  remembered  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  old  man  of  the  white  hair  and  beard; 
he  remembered  that  the  girl  had  come  forth  from  the 
mouth  of  the  cave;  he  remembered  the  warning  of  the 
strange  man  and  the  frightful  shock  that  had  followed. 

"Jingoes!"  he  said.  "I  believe  we  were  struck  by 
lightning !  I'm  not  completely  knocked  out,  but  Harry 
seems  to  be." 

Then  he  reached  Rattleton  and  touched  his  face,  felt 
for  his  pulse,  sought  to  discover  if  his  heart  beat. 

Close  to  the  breast  of  his  friend  Frank  placed  his 
ear,  and  what  he  heard  caused  him  to  utter  a  cry  of 
satisfaction. 

"Not  dead !"  he  exclaimed.  "He  still  lives !  There 
is  a  chance  for  him." 


Recovery.  283 

The  thought  that  Harry's  life  might  depend  on  his 
efforts  aroused  him  still  more.  He  loosened  Harry's 
sweater  and  the  collar  about  his  throat,  he  chafed  his 
wrists  and  temples,  he  fanned  him,  called  to  him, 
sought  in  many  ways  to  arouse  him. 

At  last  he  saw  signs  of  success.  Rattleton's  breast 
rose  and  fell,  and  he  gave  a  great  sigh. 

"That's  right,  old  man!"  cried  Frank,  with  satis- 
faction. <;Just  open  your  peepers  and  let  us  know  you 
are  recovering." 

Harry  opened  his  eyes. 

"Where — what — why " 

He  seemed  unable  to  ask  the  questions  that  sought 
for  utterance. 

"I  was  thinking  the  same  things  a  few  moments 
ago,"  said  Frank.  "We  were  knocked  out  in  the  first 
round  with  the  old  hermit." 

"Hermit — what  hermit?" 

"That's  it,"  nodded  Merry.  "You're  as  bad  off  as 
I  was.  Why,  Carter  Morris,  the  uncle  of  the  girl 
with  the  golden  hair,  who  has  hit  you  so  hard." 

A  light  of  understanding  came  to  Harry's  face,  and 
he  revived  with  wonderful  swiftness. 

"I   remember  it   all   now!"   he   faintly   exclaimed. 


284  Recovery. 

"But  I  do  not  know  what  happened  to  us.  It  seemed 
to  me  that  something  struck  me." 

"Something  did." 

"What  was  it?" 

"I  don't  know,  but  something  knocked  us  both  out 
You  remember  that  the  old  man  warned  us  not  to  ad- 
vance another  step — said  it  would  mean  instant  death 
if  we  did." 

"Yes;  but  I  thought  the  old  duffer  was  bluffing." 

"So  did  I.     I  have  since  decided  that  he  wasn't." 

"You  think  he  gave  us  the  knockout?" 

"I  do." 

"How  could  he?" 

"Some  way.  He  has  some  mysterious  power,  with 
the  aid  of  which  he  guards  the  mouth  of  that  cave." 

"And  that  power  must  be " 

"Electricity!" 

"It's  a  dead-sure  thing!"  cried  Harry.  "We  were 
given  an  electric  shock.  When  the  man  touched  the 
wall  with  his  hand,  he  turned  on  the  current." 

"I  believe  it." 

"But  how  did  the  shock  reach  us?" 

"Don't  know.     I  saw  no  wires." 

"Nor  I." 


Recovery.  285 

"There  must  have  been  wires." 

"I  presume  so." 

"Well,  where  are  we  now  ?" 

They  looked  around,  but  there  was  nothing  about 
their  surroundings  that  they  remembered  having  seen 
before. 

"We  are  not  in  front  of  the  cave/'  said  Frank. 

"No,  we  are  not  where  we  fell,  that  is  sure." 

"We  must  have  been  removed  to  this  spot." 

"Sure." 

"The  bicycles — where  are  they?" 

With  no  small  difficulty  they  got  upon  their  feet, 
and  then  they  saw  their  wheels  leaning  against  the 
face  of  a  black  rock  near  by. 

At  first  their  legs  seemed  scarcely  able  to  support 
their  weight,  but  they  grew  stronger  as  the  moments 
passed,  and  they  approached  the  wheels. 

Then  it  was  they  saw  something  drawn  with  white 
chalk  on  the  smooth  surface  of  the  black  rock. 

It  was  the  representation  of  a  human  hand,  with 
the  index  finger  pointng  in  a  certain  direction. 

Beneath  the  hand  were  these  words : 

"THIS  WAY — GO!" 


286  Recovery. 

"It  is  a  warning!"  cried  Frank. 

"You  boot  your  bets — I  mean  bet  your  boots!  It 
tells  us  to  git." 

"Well?" 

With  that  word  Frank  turned  on  Harry  sharply. 

"You  may  go  if  you  want  to,"  said  Rattleton ;  "but 
I  never  knew  you  to  run  away.  You  are  not  easily 
scared." 

"How  about  you?" 

"I  am  here  to  find  that  girl,  and  I  am  going  to  stay 
till  I  find  her  or  croak!  That's  how  about  me!" 

"Good  stuff!"  cried  Merry,  approvingly,  as  he 
grasped  the  hand  of  his  comrade.  "We'll  both  stay 
till  we  find  her." 

In  a  short  time  the  boys  began  to  feel  like  them- 
selves once  more.  Taking  their  wheels  along,  they 
sought  for  a  spring,  and  were  able  to  find  one. 

There  they  stopped  and  made  a  meal  from  the  hard 
bread  and  jerked  beef,  which  was  washed  dow»  with 
clear  water  from  the  spring. 

"Now  I  am  all  right,"  Harry  declared.  "A  feed 
was  what  I  needed." 


Recovery.  287 

They  discussed  matters  a  few  minutes,  and  then, 
carefully  observing  the  surroundings,  decided  to  con- 
ceal the  bicycles  in  the  vicinity  of  the  spring  and  seek 
for  the  mouth  of  the  cave  once  more. 

They  found  a  good  hiding  place  for  the  wheels,  and 
there  the  machines  were  stowed  away. 

"We  can't  be  so  awfully  far  from  that  cave,"  Frank 
decided.  "One  man  and  a  girl  would  not  be  able  to 
bring  us  a  long  distance." 

But  the  cave  was  not  easy  to  find,  and  the  more 
they  searched  the  more  bewildered  they  became. 

Meanwhile  night  was  coming  on  swiftly. 

"Hist!"  warned  Harry,  suddenly  grasping  Frank's 
wrist  and  drawing  him  down  behind  some  bowlders. 
"Look  there!" 

"What  is  it?" 

"Moving  figures!  I  saw  them  distinctly  over 
there." 

"The  man  and  the  girl?" 

"Couldn't  tell.     There  they  are  again.     Look!" 

"I  see!  It  is  not  the  man  and  the  girl  It  is  two 
men." 


288  Recovery. 

"That  is  right — or,  at  least,  a  man  and  something 

that  resembles  a  man." 

"It  is  Bernard  Belmont  and  his  gorilla  man!" 
"You  are  right,  Merry,  my  boy;  and  they,  too,  are 

searching  for  the  mouth  of  the  cave.    It  will  be  a  good 

scheme  to  watch  them." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

LOST    UNDERGROUND. 

Tfie  boys  followed  Belmont  and  Apollo,  being  aided 
in  doing  so  without  danger  of  discovery  by  the  gather- 
ing darkness;  but  they  knew  very  well  that,  in  a  short 
time  it  would  become  so  dark  that  they  might  lose  track 
of  the  two. 

Apollo  seemed  to  be  guiding  his  master  to  some  spot, 
and  they  clambered  over  the  rocks  with  haste  that  in- 
dicated a  desire  to  reach  the  place  without  delay. 

At  last  the  dwarf  paused  and  swept  aside  some 
matted  vines  from  the  face  of  what  seemed  to  be  a 
cliff  of  solid  stone. 

A  black  opening,  large  enough  to  admit  a  man  in  a 
stooping  posture,  was  revealed. 

Apollo  urged  Belmont  to  follow,  and  then  they  dis- 
appeared beyond  the  vines,  which  fell  down  and  hid 
the  opening  again. 

"It's  a  cave,  Merry!"  whispered  Rattleton. 

"Yes,"  nodded  Frank;  "it  may  be  one  of  the  many 
entrances  to  the  great  cavern  of  the  'queer'  makers. 


290  Lost  Underground. 

This  may  lead  into  the  cave  occupied  by  Carter  Mor- 
ris!" 

"Then  let's  get  in  there  quick!"  exclaimed  Harry, 
eagerly.  "If  we  don't,  we  may  lose  track  of  those 
men." 

"We  must  use  something  like  caution,  my  boy.  If 
we  were  to  rush  in  after  them,  it  might  do  us  up,  for 
they  may  be  laying  for  us." 

So  the  mouth  of  the  cave  was  approached  with 
caution. 

When  they  had  reached  it,  Frank  listened. 

From  a  distance  inside  he  could  hear  voices,  and, 
peering  through  the  vines,  he  caught  the  glimmer  of 
a  light 

"Come  in  quickly  after  me,  Harry,"  he  directed. 
"Be  ready  to  fight  for  your  life  if  attacked." 

Rattleton's  heart  was  in  his  throat,  and  he  felt  that 
they  were  plunging  into  unknown  and  terrible  danger, 
but  he  said : 

"Go  ahead.     I  am  with  you  to  the  end." 

Gently  and  swiftly  Frank  made  the  opening  in  the 
vines  larger,  and  then  he  quickly  stepped  through, 
holding  them  aside  for  his  friend  to  follow- 


Lost  Underground.  291 

The  vines  fell  back  into  place,  and  the  lad  crouched 
close  to  the  ground. 

"There,"  said  Frank,  "see  that  light?  It  is  not  a 
torch." 

"No.     It  seems  to  be  some  sort  of  lamp." 

"It  is  a  miner's  lamp.  Look — another  is  'being 
lighted." 

A  match  flared  up,  and  its  bright  glow  revealed  the 
pale  and  terrible  face  of  the  gorilla  man,  who  was 
lighting  the  lamp. 

The  lamps  were  arranged  to  be  placed  in  the  hats 
of  those  who  carried  them,  and  this  was  what  the  two 
men  did  with  them. 

When  everything  was  arranged  to  their  satisfaction, 
Belmont  and  the  dwarf  started  onward  into  the  cave. 

"We'll  follow  them,  Harry,"  said  Frank. 

The  light  from  the  lamps  made  it  a  comparatively 
easy  task  for  the  boys  to  accomplish  their  purpose. 

Deeper  and  deeper  into  the  great  cave  went  the  two 
men.  Once  or  twice  they  stopped  and  listened.  Once 
the  boys  distinctly  heard  Apollo  say: 

"Master,  I  think  I  heard  a  step." 

"Nonsense!"  returned  the  man,  sharply.  "You 
heard  nothing." 


292  Lost  Underground. 

"I  am  sure  I  heard  something,"  the  dwarf  insisted. 

'Then  it  was  a  rat,  or,  if  there  are  no  rats  here,  it 
was  a  piece  of  falling  stone." 

"It  may  have  been,"  acknowledged  Apollo. 

Onward  they  went. 

Frank  and  Harry  had  stopped  and  were  listening. 
Harry's  hands  grasped  Merriwell's  arm,  and  he  was 
filled  with  excitement.  He  drew  a  breath  of  relief 
when  the  men  moved  on. 

"Jy  bove — no,  by  Jove!"  he  gasped.  "I  thought 
the  trick  was  up  then !" 

"Still !"  cautioned  Frank.  "We  must  not  alarm  that 
dwarf  too  much.  He  has  wonderfully  keen  ears.'* 

The  passage,  in  places,  broadened  into  great  cham- 
bers, while  in  other  places  it  narrowed  till  they  were 
forced  to  make  their  way  along  one  at  a  time. 

"If  we  lose  sight  of  those  lights  we  may  have  some 
trouble  getting  out,"  whispered  Harry. 

"That's  so,"  confessed  Merriwell.  "I  have  seen 
other  passages  besides  the  one  taken  by  them." 

The  thought  of  being  lost  underground  in  that  great 
cave  was  enough  to  turn  them  cold  with  fear. 

And  then,  without  the  least  warning,  the  lights  in 
advance  suddenly  vanished. 


Lost  Underground.  293 

"Down!"  whispered  Merriwell.  "I  believe  they 
have  discovered  we  are  after  them.  Close  to  the 
ground  and  listen !" 

Down  they  crouched,  their  hearts  beating  riotously 
in  their  bosoms. 

Not  a  sound  seemed  to  break  the  deathlike  stillness 
of  the  cave, 

"What's  happened?"  whispered  Harry.  "Where 
have  they  gone?" 

"Give  it  up,"  answered  Frank.  "T-hey  have  dis- 
appeared, 'but  that  is  as  much  as  I  know." 

"Perhaps  they  are  laying  for  us." 

But,  although  they  waited  a  long  time,  not  a  sound 
could  they  hear  save  those  sounds .  made  by  them- 
selves. 

"I  am  going  ahead,"  declared  Merriwell. 

"We  may  run  into  them." 

"Got  to  chance  it,  old  man.  That  might  be  better 
than  to  have  them  run  away  from  us.  Come  on." 

"I'm  with  you." 

Keeping  close  together,  they  crept  forward  slowly, 
not  knowing  but  they  might  be  attacked  at  any  mo- 
ment. 

Of  a  sudden,  Frank  gave  a  gasp  and  cry.     Harry 


294  Lost  Underground. 

tried  to  grasp  his  companion,  and  then  he  found  him- 
selg  slipping,  sliding,  falling. 

Down  they  went,  getting  hold  of  each  other,  but 
being  unable  to  stop  their  descent.  It  was  impossible 
to  see  anything  there  in  that  frightful  darkness,  and 
that  made  their  peril  seem  awful  indeed. 

Fortunately  their  fall  was  not  always  direct  There 
were  times  when  they  seemed  to  be  sliding  down  a 
steep  slope,  while  dust  filled  their  eyes  and  mouths, 
and  they  were  bruised  and  scratched  and  robbed  of 
breath. 

Finally,  when  it  had  seemed  they  would  never  cease 
falling,  they  stopped  with  a  great  thump  and  lay  pant- 
ing side  by  side. 

"Great  humping  misery !"  gasped  Rattleton,  weakly. 
"Are  we  diving  or  are  we  lead — I  mean  are  we  living 
or  are  we  dead?" 

"We  seem  to  be  living,"  said  Frank,  "but  we  might 
be  better  off  if  we  were  dead.  I  think  we  are  in  a  bad 
scrape." 

"What  happened  to  us,  anyway?" 

"We  fell." 

"Or  were  we  pushed?" 


Lost  Underground.  295 

"There  was  no  pushing  about  it.  We  took  the 
tumble  ourselves." 

"You  don't  suppose  the  chaps  we  were  following 
fell  down  here  ahead  of  us  ?" 

"No." 

"Then  what  could  have  become  of  them?" 

"They  must  have  turned  off  into  a  side  passage  we 
did  not  see.  That  is  the  only  way  I  can  explain  it." 

"Well,  we  may  not  be  able  to  get  out  of  this." 

"We'll  have  to  get  out." 

"What  if  we  can't?" 

"We  mustn't  think  of  that." 

"All  right;  but  I  can't  help  it." 

They  sat  up  and  felt  of  themselves,  finding  no  tones 
were  broken,  although  they  had  been  bruised  some- 
what. 

Harry  was  about  to  get  on  his  feet,  but  Frank  would 
not  allow  that  till  he  had  lighted  a  match,  as  there  was 
danger  of  taking  another  mad  tumble. 

Frank  always  carried  matches  in  a  watertight  case, 
and  he  produced  and  struck  one.  By  the  aid  of  the 
tiny  blaze  they  first  satisfied  themselves  that  they  were 
not  on  tfie  brink  of  another  descent,  and  there  was  no 


296  Lost  Underground. 

immediate  danger  of  falling  again.  Then  they  tried  to 
lock  around. 

"Murder !"  gasped  Harry.     "We  are  in  it — bad !" 

Frank  felt  that  Rattleton  was  right;  without  doubt 
they  were  in  a  very  bad  scrape.  But  it  was  Merry's 
policy  to  keep  up  his  courage  and  put  on  a  front,  so  he 
joked  and  laughed  as  if  it  were  a  matter  to  be  made 
light  of. 

"I  don't  know  how  you  do  it,  old  man,"  said  Harry, 
gloomily;  "but  I  can't  laugh  while  we  are  in  this  sort 
of  a  hole." 

"We've  both  been  in  bad  scrapes  before.  Keep  a 
stiff  upper  lip.  We'll  pull  out  all  right.  First,  we 
must  see  if  we  can  scale  this  place  where  we  fell." 

Another  match  was  lighted,  and  they  made  an  ex- 
amination. It  was  not  long  before  they  were  con- 
vinced that  it  was  utterly  useless  to  think  of  trying  to 
get  out  that  way. 

"Can't  be  done!"  groaned  Harry. 

"Not  that  way,"  admitted  Frank.  "But  we'll  find 
a  way." 

"We  came  here  to  find  the  buried  heiress,  and  now 
we  are  buried  ourselves.  That's  what  I  call  hard 
lines." 


Lost  Underground.  297 

With  the  aid  of  their  matches,  they  made  their  way 
along  slowly,  both  fearing  they  might  take  another  fall, 
and  that  it  might  be  fatal. 

"Perhaps  it  would  be  the  best  thing  that  could  hap- 
pen to  us,"  said  Rattleton,  dolefully.  "It  would  be  a 
great  deal  better  than  starving  down  here  under- 
ground." 

Frank  said  nothing.  He  saw  their  matches  were 
running  out,  and  the  thought  of  being  left  there  in  the 
darkness  of  that  great  cavern,  with  no  means  of  pro- 
curing a  light  of  any  sort,  was  overcoming  him  and 
making  it  impossible  for  him  to  assume  an  air  of  care- 
lessness and  merry  spirits. 

Finally,  when  there  were  but  a  few  matches  left, 
Frank  said: 

"We'll  have  to  feel  our  way  along  and  take  chances, 
Harry.  I  am  not  going  to  use  up  all  these  matches, 
for  there  is  no  telling  how  valuable  they  may  be  later 
on." 

So,  clinging  to  each  other,  they  crept  along  inch  by 
inch,  lost  in  the  Stygian  darkness  of  the  great  cavern 
of  the  Sierras. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

BROTHER     AND     SISTER. 

"There's  a  light  ahead,  Harry!" 

Frank  uttered  the  words  in  an  excited  whisper,  after 
they  had  been  groping  their  way  through  the  darkness 
of  the  great  cavern  for  what  seemed  to  be  many  hours. 

Rattleton  was  greatly  agitated. 

"It  is  a  light,  sure!"  he  panted.  "Frank,  we're  all 
right  at  last!" 

For  some  time  they  had  heard  a  strange  puffing 
sound  that  seemed  smothered  and  far  away,  like  the 
panting  breathing  of  some  subterranean  monster.  This 
was  accompanied  by  a  singular  buzzing  roar  that 
sounded  very  uncanny. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Rattleton,  in  awe — "what  can 
it  be?" 

"Give  it  up,"  confessed  Frank.  "Let's  find  out 
Come  on." 

They  moved  toward  the  light,  and  soon  they  found 
themselves  looking  down  into  a  round  chamber  of  the 
great  cavern  from  a  height  of  many  feet. 


Brother  and  Sister.  299 

What  they  saw  filled  them  with  inexpressible  aston- 
ishment. 

The  place  was  lighted  with  electric  lamps,  and  down 
there  in  the  chamber  was  a  steam  engine  and  a  small 
electric  dynamo. 

The  engine  was  running  steadily,  and  the  dynamo 
hummed  with  a  sound  about  which  there  now  was 
nothing  uncanny. 

Near  the  engine,  watching  it  with  interest,  was  the 
girl  of  the  golden  hair. 

Harry  clutched  Frank's  arm. 

"There  she  is!"  he  panted.  "We  have  found  her 
at  last!" 

They  stood  in  silence  for  several  moments,  watching 
the  girl,  who  looked  very  pretty  beneath  the  light  of 
the  electric  lamps. 

Suddenly  a  cry  came  from  Harry,  and  he  clutched 
Merriwell's  arm  with  quivering  fingers,  pointing  with 
his  other  hand. 

"Look!  look!"  he  exclaimed.  "The  dwarf — there 
he  is!" 

Sure  enough,  the  crouching  figure  of  Apollo  was 
seen  emerging  from  the  darkness  of  a  black  opening 
and  advancing  toward  the  girl  with  swift,  catlike  steps. 


300  Brother  and  Sister. 

The  girl  had  heard  Harry's  exclamation,  and, 
startled,  she  looked  up  toward  where  the  boys  were 
standing. 

Then  the  dwarf  rushed  upon  her  and  clutched  her 
with  his  iron  hands. 

A  scream  of  terror  came  from  the  lips  of  the  fright- 
ened girl,  and  rang  in  weird  echoes  through  the  cave. 

The  hand  of  Apollo  was  pressed  over  her  mouth. 

But  that  scream  had  been  heard,  and  there  was  an 
answering  shout  from  not  very  far  away. 

The  girl  struggled,  but  the  dwarf  dragged  her  along 
toward  the  dark  opening. 

"How  can  we  get  down  there,  Frank?  We  must 
take  a  hand!  How  can  we  do  it?  It  is  too  far  to 
jump!" 

Rattleton  was  frantic. 

Frank  was  looking  for  some  way  of  getting  down 
into  the  chamber. 

Before  either  of  them  could  discover  a  means  of 
joing  to  the  assistance  of  the  girl,  Carter  Morris,  the 
strange  old  hermit,  rushed  into  the  cavern. 

Morris  sprang  to  the  aid  of  the  girl,  but  it  seemed 
Bernard  Belmont  had  been  waiting  for  such  a  thing 


Brother  and  Sister.  301 

to  happen,  for  he  leaped  out  of  the  darkness  and  grap- 
pled with  the  hermit. 

Then  a  savage  battle  took  place  before  the  eyes  of 
the  boys. 

"Furies!"  roared  the  man  of  the  cave,  writhing  to 
break  the  grasp  of  his  assailant.  "Who  are  you?" 

The  girl  got  her  mouth  free  from  Apollo's  hand 
and  screamed: 

"It  is  my  stepfather — it  is  Bernard  Belmont!" 

It  seemed  that  those  words  filled  the  hermit  with  a 
mad  frenzy.  He  struggled  furiously,  and  Belmont 
was  forced  to  exert  all  his  strength  to  prevent  himself 
from  being  overcome,  although  he  was  the  assailant. 

"We  must  go  to  the  rescue,  Frank — we  must !"  pal- 
pitated Rattleton. 

The  boys  were  determined  to  find  a  way  of  getting 
down  into  the  round  chamber,  and  Frank  fancied  he 
saw  a  manner  of  descending.  It  would  be  necessary 
to  drop  at  least  fifteen  feet,  but  he  started  to  make  the 
attempt  and  Harry  followed. 

The  battle  between  Belmont  and  Carter  Morris  con- 
tinued with  great  fury,  and  Morris  seemed  to  become 
perfectly  mad  with  rage  when  he  was  unable  to  over- 
come his  assailant 


$02  Brother  and  Sister. 

Bit  by  bit  the  hermit  dragged  the  man  toward  the 
buzzing  dynamo,  his  eyes  glowing  with  an  awful  pur- 
pose. 

Suddenly  he  tried  to  hurl  Belmont  upon  the  dynamo. 

Belmont  realized  the  intention  of  the  man,  and  a 
scream  of  fear  escaped  him. 

A  moment  later  both  men  went  down  upon  the  ma- 
chine ! 

A  second  they  seemed  to  cling  there,  and  then  they 
were  flung  off,  falling  upon  the  rocky  floor  of  the  cav- 
ern and  lying  still,  holding  fast  to  each  other  in  death ! 

The  girl  screamed,  and  the  dwarf  seemed  overcome 
with  sudden  fear.  He  stared  at  the  contorted  face  of 
his  dead  master,  seeming  unable  to  realize  what  had 
happened  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 

Down  from  the  heights  above  dropped  two  boys. 

"Give  it  to  him,  Frank!"  screamed  Harry. 

They  rushed  at  the  dwarf,  but,  for  once  in  his  life, 
at  least,  Apollo  was  mastered  by  terror,  for,  with  a 
shout  of  dismay,  he  released  the  girl  and  fled,  disap- 
pearing in  a  hopping,  bounding  manner  into  the  dark- 
ness. 

Rattleton  caught  the  half-fainting  girl  in  his  arms, 
crying : 


Brother  and  Sister.  303 

"Hurrah,  Merry,  we  have  found  her,  and  we've 
saved  her!" 

But  she  had  fainted. 

When  another  morning  dawned  the  two  boys  and 
the  girl  left  the  great  cave  and  started  for  Carson  City. 

Already  had  Mildred  explained  to  them  how  it  hap- 
pened that  the  steam  engine  and  the  dynamo  were 
found  in  the  cavern.  The  coiners  who  had  occupied 
that  retreat  years  before  had  discovered  a  valuable 
vein  of  ore,  and  they  had  devised  a  scheme  of  mining 
with  the  aid  of  electricity.  The  engine  was  brought 
there  to  run  the  dynamo.  As  a  certain  portion  of  the 
cave  yielded  coal  in  liberal  quantities,  it  was  not  diffi- 
cult to  find  fuel  for  the  engine. 

Carter  Morris,  being  somewhat  of  an  electrician, 
had  put  the  abandoned  machinery  in  running  order 
when  he  took  possession  of  the  cave. 

It  had  been  his  intention  to  protect  himself  from  in- 
truders by  the  aid  of  electric  currents,  and  he  had  given 
Frank  and  Harry  a  frightful  shock  at  the  mouth  of  the 
cavern  by  means  of  hidden  wires. 

The  electric  current  had  caused  his  death  when  he 
fell  upon  the  dynamo  in  struggling  with  Bernard  Bel- 
mont. 


304  Brother  and  Sister. 

The  graves  of  both  men  were  made  in  the  cave,  and 
Little  Milly  shed  tears  over  the  body  of  her  mad  uncle, 
who  had  sought  to  befriend  her  by  "burying"  her. 

The  hidden  bicycles  were  found,  and  the  sailboat  was 
discovered  where  the  boys  had  left  it. 

After  setting  sail  to  cross  the  lake,  Frank  touched 
Harry's  arm  and  pointed  to  an  object  that  was  floating 
in  the  water,  at  the  same  time  pressing  a  finger  to  his 
lips  and  shaking  his  head,  with  a  look  toward  Milly. 

Harry  looked  and  started,  for  he  saw  the  ghastly, 
upturned  face  of  Apollo,  the  dwarf,  the  scar  on  his 
cheek  having  turned  a  purplish  blue. 

The  girl  did  not  see  this  object,  and  the  boys  be- 
lieved it  far  better  to  leave  the  dwarf  than  to  horrify 
her  by  letting  her  see  the  body. 

Carson  was  reached  without  further  adventure,  and 
there  a  joyous  surprise  awaited  Mildred  Morris. 

Jack  Diamond  met  the  little  party  outside  the  hotel. 

"Where  are  Toots  and  Bruce?"  asked  Frank,  in  a 
low  voice. 

"Standing  guard,  as  you  directed,"  said  Jack.  "We 
have  taken  turns  since  you  went  away,  and  he  has  not 
been  left  alone  a  moment." 

"How  is  he?" 


Brother  and  Sister.  305 

"Better — much  better.  The  doctor  says  he  thinks 
he'll  come  around  all  right." 

Then  Frank  and  Harry  accompanied  Milly  to  a 
certain  room  of  the  hotel.  Browning  and  the  colored 
boy  were  called  out  of  the  room,  and  Merriwell  said  to 
the  girl : 

"Go  in,  Miss  Morris.  There's  some  one  in  there 
who  will  be  glad  to  see  you." 

He  held  the  door  open,  and  urged  her  gently  into 
the  room. 

A  moment  later  there  was  a  cry  of  joy — two  cries 
— a  rush.  Then,  peering  in  at  the  door  for  a  moment, 
the  delighted  lads  saw  Milly  spring  toward  the  bed 
and  clasp  her  living  brother  in  her  arms. 

Frank  closed  the  door. 

Immediately  Toots  danced  a  wild  cancan  of  delight. 

"Golly  sakes  teh  goodness!"  he  chuckled.  "Dat 
gal  sho'  am  a  peach.  I'd  jes'  lek  teh  take  dat  sick 
boy's  place  'bout  five  minutes.  Yah!  yah!  yah!  Oh, 
mommer !" 

The  boy  whom  Mildred  had  rushed  to  meet  was  her 
brother,  George,  who  was  not  dead,  but  had  fainted 
at  sight  of  his  cruel  stepfather  and  the  dwarf.  Bel- 
mont  had  thought  the  boy  dead,  and  had  left  Carson 


306  Brother  and  Sister. 

without  delay,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  Frank  Mer- 
riwell. 

And  now  the  doctor  who  was  attending  George  said 
the  boy  had  a  fair  show  to  recover. 

"Say,"  observed  Diamond,  suddenly,  "the  buried 
heiress  is  out  of  sight !  I  think  I  will " 

"If  you  try  it,"  spluttered  Rattleton,  menacingly, 
"I'll  hake  your  bread — I  mean  I'll  break  your  head !  I 
saw  her  first,  and  I  have  first  claim  there!" 

"Break  away,  there,  you  chumps,"  laughed  Frank. 
"We  have  business  first,  you  know.  We  must  speed 
on  toward  California  and  bring  this  wonderful  trip  of 
ours  to  a  successful  finish.  Onward  is  the  cry." 

That  afternoon  they  bade  farewell  to  George  and 
Mildred,  and  rode  away,  sorry  indeed  at  the  parting. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

OLD   FRIENDS. 

"We  are  a  set  of  jolly,  jolly  lads, 

As  we  ride — as  we  ride  away! 
You  bet  we're  up  to  date,  but  are  no  cads, 

As  we  ride — as  we  ride  away ! 

We've  crossed  the  plains  and  scaled  the  Rockies  high, 
And  now  hurrah !  for  'Frisco's  town  is  nigh ; 
We  sing  as  toward  that  port  we  swiftly  fly, 

As  we  ride — as  we  ride  away!" 

Through  a  California  forest  of  monster  trees  our 
five  boys  were  riding,  and  they  sang  as  they  rode,  their 
voices  blending  beautifully  and  making  the  old  woods 
echo  with  sweet  music. 

To  them  it  seemed  that  all  the  perils  of  the  trip  were 
past  and  San  Francisco  was  in  view,  although  in  truth, 
it  was  more  than  two  hundred  miles  away  by  the  route 
they  would  be  compelled  to  follow. 

It  was  a  perfect  day,  with  the  sun  shining  from  a 
cloudless  sky,  as  it  always  seems  to  shine  in  California. 
It  was  warm,  but  not  too  hot  for  comfort,  and  the 
road  through  the  forest  was  fairly  good,  winding  to 
the  right  and  then  to  the  left  beneath  the  shadows  ol 
the  great  trees. 


308  Old  Friends. 

"If  this  road  wasn't  so  crooked,  we  wouldn't  have 
to  travel  so  far,"  groaned  Browning,  his  manner  being 
so  dismal  that  the  others  broke  into  a  shout  of  laughter. 

"You  shouldn't  kick  about  this  road,"  smiled  Frank. 
"I've  seen  a  road  much  more  crooked  than  this." 

"It  must  have  been  pretty  crooked." 

"It  was  so  crooked  that  when  you  started  to  ride  on  it 
you'd  meet  yourself  coming  back." 

"Yow!"  whooped  Rattleton.  "That's  the  worst  I 
ever  heard!  A  man  should  be  put  behind  bars  for 
perpetrating  anything  like  that." 

"I  don't  think  I'd  like  to  be  put  behind  bars,"  con- 
fessed Merry. 

"Huah!"  grunted  Bruce.  "There  are  others. 
Why,  I  know  fellows  who  want  to  be  in  front  of  bars 
all  the  time." 

"You  mean  they  drink  incessantly?" 

"No,  I  mean  they  drink  whiskey." 

"Yah!  yah!  yah!"  shouted  Toots,  his  shrill  laugh 
awaking  the  echoes.  "Nebber  heard  Mistah  Brownin' 
say  nufnn'  funny  as  dat  befo' !  Dat  teks  de  cake !" 

"I  wouldn't  mind  taking  a  small  cake,"  said  the  big 
fellow.  "This  California  air  makes  me  hungry." 

"Land  ob  wartermillions !  yo's  alwus  hungry,  Mistah 


Old  Friends.  309 

Brownin',  sar.  Yo's  been  eatin'  all  de  way  'crost  dc 
country." 

"That's  right,"  was  Browning's  confession.  "And 
there  was  one  strip  of  country  where  they  didn't  seem 
to  have  anything  to  eat  but  corn  beef  and  cabbage.  I 
actually  ate  so  much  corn  beef  and  cabbage  that  I  was 
ashamed  to  look  a  cow  in  the  face." 

"Well,  we'll  soon  be  in  San  Francisco,  the  greatest 
city  in  all  this  Western  land,"  put  in  Frank.  "There 
we  can  get  almost  any  kind  of  feed  we  like.  Why,  I 
know  a  restaurant  where  we'll  be  able  to  get  'genuine 
Boston  baked  beans.' ' 

"You  know  a  place?"  questioned  Diamond.  "You 
know?  Look  here,  Frank  Merriwell,  what  is  there 
you  don't  know  about?  Have  you  been  everywhere 
and  seen  everything?" 

"Not  by  a  long  distance,  but  I  have  been  in  San 
Francisco." 

"Well,  it  seems  to  me  that  we  never  mention  a  place 
that  you  don't  know  all  about.  You  were  perfectly 
familiar  with  Carson  City." 

"Yes,  I  had  been  there  before,  and  it  is  a  place  I 
shall  not  soon  forget,  for  it  was  there  I  last  saw  my  old 
chum  of  Fardale,  Bart  Hodge." 


3io  Old  Friends. 

"You  have  spoken  of  him  often  of  late." 
"Yes;  I  have  been  thinking  of  him  very  much.  It 
is  natural,  as  I  am  near  where  I  saw  him  last.  Dear 
old  fellow !  How  we  fought  in  the  old  days  when  we 
first  met!  And,  after  that,  what  firm  friends  we  be- 
came! Hodge  had  his  failings,  but  he  was  white  at 
heart.  He  would  lay  down  his  life  for  a  friend.  His 
parents  were  wealthy,  and  they  had  indulged  him  in 
everything  he  desired,  till  he  was  completely  spoiled 
and  they  could  do  nothing  with  him.  Fardale  was 
noted  as  a  place  where  just  such  fellows  were  taken 
and  broken  into  the  traces,  and  so  his  father  sent  him 
there.  Hodge  didn't  do  a  thing  at  first — oh,  no!  not 
a  thing!  He  raised  merry  thunder,  and  he  hated  me 
with  a  virulent  hatred.  He  tried  to  injure  me  in  every 
way  he  could  devise,  but  when  I  pulled  him  out  of 
several  bad  scrapes,  incidentally  saving  his  life,  he 
began  to  see  that  he  was  in  the  wrong.  He  had  a 
fierce  battle  to  overcome  his  natural  inclination  to  do 
dirty  things,  but  overcome  it  he  did,  and  he  became 
fairly  popular  in  time,  although  no  one  knew  him  and 
understood  him  like  myself.  Between  us  there  was  a 
perfect  understanding,  and  I  could  control  him  when 
he  would  not  listen  to  reason  from  any  other  person.'* 


Old  Friends.  311 

"I  believe  you  were  stuck  on  Hodge!"  said  Dia- 
mond, somewhat  piqued. 

"No  more  than  I  am  on  any  of  my  true  friends," 
answered  Frank. 

"It  seems  you  put  yourself  to  lots  of  trouble  with 
him." 

"I  did ;  but  I  fancied  there  was  the  making  of  a  fine 
man  in  him,  and  I  felt  that  it  was  a  shame  to  see  a 
chap  go  to  the  dogs.  Several  times  he  came  near 
being  fired  from  Fardale,  for  they  could  do  nothing 
with  him.  If  he  had  been  fired,  his  father  would  have 
forced  him  to  hustle  for  himself.  With  a  boy  of 
Hodge's  nature  that  must  have  meant  ruin,  as  he  would 
have  fallen  in  with  fast  companions,  would  have  re- 
quired money,  and  would  have  obtained  it  by  some 
means  or  other.  If  his  companions  had  been  crooked, 
Hodge,  although  his  nature  would  have  rebelled  against 
anything  dishonest,  would  have  become  crooked  also. 
He  told  me  that,  and  he  said  I  was  his  good  angel." 

"Hang  it,  Merry!"  spluttered  Rattleton;  "you've 
been  a  good  angel  for  lots  of  us.  It  seems  that  every 
fellow  who  sticks  by  you  gets  on  better  than  he  ever 
did  before." 


312  Old  Friends. 

"I'm  a  mascot,"  laughed  Frank.  "Follow  me  and 
you'll  wear  diamonds — or  something  else." 

"There's  no  doubt  about  it,"  grunted  Browning. 
"We'll  be  arrested  if  we  don't.  Can't  go  naked  in  this 
country." 

"Yah !"  cried  Toots.  "Don'  yo'  try  so  hard  to  say 
somefln'  funny,  Mistah  Brownin',  fo'  dat  is  where  yo' 
meks  a  mistook,  sar.  Yo'  falls  do'n  on  yo'se'f,  an'  yo' 
don'  get  funny  at  all." 

"Thanks,  my  colored  counsellor,"  murmured  the  big 
fellow.  "You  have  a  shocking  habit  of  giving  ad- 
vice when  it  isn't  asked.  I  wouldn't  do  it  so  much  if 
I  were  you." 

"Choke  off,  Toots,"  advised  Frank. 

"All  right,  sar — all  right,"  muttered  the  colored 
boy;  "but  I  knows  what  I  knows — yes,  sar.  It  done 
do  some  of  de  crowd  good  if  dey  took  mah  advice, 
sar." 

The  boys  admired  the  trees  and  the  weather,  and 
they  were  supremely  happy.  All  were  hearty  and 
healthy,  with  muscles  as  hard  as  iron  and  eyes  clear  as 
the  eagle's. 

Browning,  although  still  stout  and  sturdy,  had 
worked  himself  down  to  a  hard,  healthy  condition,  and 


Old  Friends.  31} 

was  really  a  stunningly  handsome  fellow.  There  was 
about  him  a  suggestion  of  great  strength,  and  almost 
any  man  might  have  hesitated  about  facing  him  in 
anger. 

As  Merriwell  was  one  who  constantly  kept  himself 
in  perfect  condition,  it  cannot  be  said  that  he  was  look- 
ing better  than  when  the  party  left  New  York,  al- 
though he,  like  the  others,  was  tanned  by  exposure  to 
all  sorts  of  weather. 

As  the  party  came  around  a  bend  of  the  road,  they 
saw  another  young  bicyclist,  who  was  standing  beside 
his  wheel,  somewhat  uneasily  regarding  their  ap- 
proach. 

"Hello!"  exclaimed  Diamond.  "Here's  a  fellow 
traveler." 

Frank  took  off  his  cap  and  waved  it  about  his  head, 
but  the  stranger  did  not  answer  the  salute. 

"Some  way  he  doesn't  seem  at  all  pleased  to  see  us," 
said  Rattleton. 

"It  may  be  the  way  with  Californians,"  said  Dia- 
mond. 

"Anyhow  we'll  stop  and  ask  him  a  few  questions," 
Merriwell  said.  "At  least,  he  can't  refuse  to  answer 
us,  if  we  are  civil." 


314  Old  Friends. 

So,  as  the  boys  came  up,  they  slackened  their  speed 
and  prepared  to  dismount.  To  their  surprise  the 
stranger  made  preparations  to  mount,  as  if  he  contem- 
plated riding  away  if  they  stopped. 

"He's  going  to  run  away,"  grunted  Bruce,  in  dis- 
gust. 

"Hold  on,"  urged  Merriwell,  addressing  the 
stranger.  "We  want  to  talk  with  you." 

Then  the  boys  sprang  off  their  wheels. 

To  their  surprise,  the  stranger  suddenly  held  out  his 
hand,  almost  shouting: 

"It  is  Frank  Merriwell,  or  my  eyes  can't  see 
straight !" 

"Bart  Hodge,  as  I  live!"  cried  Frank,  grasping  tHe 
outstretched  hand. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

BART   HODGE   MAKES   A   CONFESSION. 

It  was  Bart  Hodge! 

How  they  did  shake  hands!  Strangely  enough, 
neither  of  them  laughed,  but  there  was  a  look  of  joy  on 
their  faces  that  told  of  satisfaction  and  delight  too 
great  for  laughter. 

"Merriwell,  old  man,"  said  Hodge,  his  voice  un- 
steady with  emotion,  "I  can  scarcely  believe  it  is  true! 
It  seems  too  good  to  be  true !" 

"Hodge!"  exclaimed  Frank,  "there  is  fate  in  this. 
I  was  speaking  of  you  not  more  than  ten  minutes 
ago." 

"Speaking  of  me?** 

"Sure." 

"Then  you  had  not  forgotten  me?" 

"Forgotten  you?'  came  reproachfully  from  Frank 
— "you  should  know  I  am  not  the  kind  of  fellow  to  for- 
get my  friends." 

"That's  right,"  nodded  Bart,  quickly;  "you  always 
did  stick  to  your  friends  through  thick  and  thin." 


316      Bart  Hodge  Makes  a  Confession. 

"Yes,  through  thick  and  thin,  old  chum." 
"But  it  is  most  astonishing  to  see  you  away  out  here 
in  this  part  of  the  country.     Where  did  you  drop 
from?" 

"Oh,  we  are  on  a  little  run  across  the  country," 
smiled  Merry.  "We  started  from  New  York,  and 
we're  bound  for  San  Francisco.  Permit  me  to  intro- 
duce my  friends." 

Then  he  presented  the  others  of  the  party  in  turn, 
and  Bart  shook  hands  with  them  all,  expressing  his 
satisfaction  at  meeting  them,  but  seeming  rather  re- 
served and  uneasy.  Frank  observed  that  Hodge 
turned  his  head  to  glance  down  the  road  now  and  then 
as  if  expecting  the  appearance  of  some  one  or  some- 
thing. 

"So  you're  Hart  Bodge — I  mean  Bart  Hodge?" 
said  Harry,  as  he  was  introduced.  "Well,  I'm  glad  to 
know  you.  Merry  has  talked  about  you  ever  since  I 
first  met  him  at  Yale.  He  has  told  everything  about 
you." 

"If  that  is  true,  I'm  afraid  you  have  not  formed  a 
very  good  opinion  of  me,"  said  Hodge,  somewhat 
gloomily. 


Bart  Hodge  Makes  a  Confession.      317 

"On  the  contrary,  I  have  formed  a  very  good  opin- 
ion of  you,"  assured  Rattleton. 

"Then  it  can't  be  Merry  has  told  you  everything." 

Frank  was  not  a  little  surprised  by  Bart's  manner, 
for  Hodge  had  been  a  fellow  who  could  not  easily 
suppress  his  self-conceit,  and  it  had  always  been  his 
desire  to  impress  strangers  with  the  idea  that  he  was 
something  quite  out  of  the  ordinary. 

A  vague  feeling  that  something  was  wrong  with 
Bart  seized  upon  Merriwell. 

"You're  not  well,  old  man,"  he  said.  "I  know  it 
Don't  say  you  are." 

"Never  was  better  in  all  my  life." 

"But  something  is  the  trouble — I  can  see  that." 

"Oh,  no!"  assured  Bart;  "you  are  mistaken,  I  as- 
sure you." 

But,  for  all  of  these  words,  Frank  was  not  satisfied, 
as  Bart's  manner  had  plainly  betrayed  the  fact  that  he 
was  trying  to  conceal  something. 

"Which  way  are  you  traveling?"  Frank  asked. 

"East." 

"Too  bad!  We  are  going  the  other  way,  and  I 
hoped  you'd  go  along." 

"Oh,  no!  it  is  impossible,"  Hodge  quickly  asserted 


318      Bart  Hodge  Makes  a  Confession. 

"Business  important  ?" 

"Well,  it  is — er — somewhat  so." 

"Where  are  you  from  last?" 

"Oh,  I've  been  traveling — yes,  traveling,"  answered 
Bart,  vaguely. 

"Now,  look  here!"  cried  Merry,  decisively;  "you've 
got  to  travel  with  us,  old  man.  I  won't  take  no  for 
an  answer,  for  I  believe  you  can  do  it.  You'll  turn 
about  and  go  to  San  Francisco  with  us." 

"That's  right;  come  on,"  cried  the  others. 

Bart  shook  his  head. 

"Can't  do  it — I  can't.  You  don't  know — I  can't 
explain — now." 

"Do  you  think  this  is  using  me  just  right?"  asked 
Frank,  reproachfully.  "You'll  find  us  a  jolly  crowd, 
and  we'll  have  dead  loads  of  sport.  We've  made  a 
quick  run  across,  and  we  can  take  our  time  going  back. 
None  of  the  fellows  are  obliged  to  hurry  home. 
Come  along  with  us,  Bart,  and  we'll  do  you  good." 

Something  like  a  smile  flitted  over  Hodge's  serious 
face. 

"You  are  the  same  old  Merriwell,"  he  said.  "It  has 
done  me  good  to  see  you  a  little  while,  Frank." 


Bart  Hodge  Makes  a  Confession.      319 

"It  will  do  you  more  good  to  see  me  longer,  and  it'll 
do  me  good  to  have  you  come  with  me.  Come  along." 

Bart  wavered.  It  was  plain  enough  that  he  longed 
to  go,  but,  for  some  reason,  he  hesitated. 

Frank  passed  an  arm  about  Hodge's  shoulders,  say- 
ing, gently  but  firmly : 

"You've  got  to  do  it;  you  can't  get  out  of  it,  old 
chum." 

A  wave  of  feeling  fled  across  Hodge's  face,  and 
there  was  something  like  a  suspicious  quiver  of  his 
sensitive  chin. 

"You  do  not  understand,"  he  slowly  murmured. 
"I'd  like  to  have  a  talk  with  you,  Frank.  I — I  might 
tell  you " 

"That's  right,"  said  Harry,  heartily.  "Old  friends 
like  you  chaps  want  a  chance  to  talk  over  old  matters 
and  things.  Excuse  us.  We're  going  to  find  a  chance 
to  stretch  our  weary  limbs  on  the  ground.  Browning 
has  an  attack  of  that  tired  feeling,  and  he  will  fall  asleep 
in  his  tracks  if  he  doesn't  recline  without  delay." 

"Huah!"  grunted  Bruce. 

Then  the  boys  withdrew,  leaving  Hodge  and  Merri- 
well  together. 

Bart  seemed  embarrassed  and  uneasy.     He  glanced 


32O      Bart  Hodge  Makes  a  Confession. 

at  Frank  slyly,  as  if  in  doubt,  which  Merry  did  not  fail 
to  note,  although  pretending  not  to  observe  it. 

They  sat  down  near  the  foot  of  a  monster  tree, 
against  which  they  could  lean  in  a  comfortable  position 
as  they  chatted.  The  great  forest  of  redwood  trees 
was  all  about  them,  and  a  Sabbath  peace  brooded  over 
the  gentle  slope  of  the  Sierras. 

"Well,  Bart,"  said  Frank,  insinuatingly,  "I  trust 
things  are  going  well  with  you?" 

A  sudden  change  came  over  Hodge.  A  fierce  look 
of  rage  came  to  his  face  and  his  eyes  blazed,  while  his 
voice  was  harsh  and  unpleasant,  as  he  cried : 

"Things  are  not  going  well  with  me!  Everything 
has  gone  wrong!  Oh,  I've  had  infernal  luck !  I  know 
I  was  born  under  an  unlucky  star,  and  the  only  time  I 
ever  did  get  along  was  when  you  and  I  were  together  at 
Fardale." 

"Then  stick  by  me,  and  change  your  luck  again." 

"I'd  like  to  do  it,  but  you  are  going  the  wrong  way." 

"What's  the  odds?  There  is  no  reason  why  you 
should  not  turn  back  and " 

"There  is  a  reason." 

"Of  course  I  do  not  know  about  that,  but " 

"Listen,  Frank;  you  remember  Isa  Isban?" 


Bart  Hodge  Makes  a  Confession.      321 

"Yes,  and  Vida  Milburn,  Isa's  half-sister,  with 
whom  you  were  in  love.  I  distinctly  remember  that 
Vida  was  a  beautiful  and  charming  girl." 

Hodge's  teeth  ground  together  with  a  nerve-tingling, 
grating  sound,  and  his  face  was  set  as  stone,  although 
his  eyes  still  blazed. 

"Yes,  a  beautiful  girl — a  charming  girl!"  he  ad- 
mitted, but  with  sarcasm  that  could  not  be  mistaken. 

"What's  the  matter?     Where  is  Vida  now?" 

"I  don't  know,  and  I  don't  care  a  rap !" 

"Oh,  say!  I  think  I  tumble.  It  is  a  case  of  lovers' 
quarrel.  Now,  now,  now !  Don't  be  foolish,  my  boy ! 
It  will  come  out  all  right.  You  know  true  love  per- 
sistently refuses  to  run  smooth.  You'll  make  it  all  up 
in  time." 

Hodge  grinned,  but  there  was  nothing  of  mirth  in 
the  expression.  It  seemed  to  Frank  as  if  some  wild 
animal  had  shown  its  teeth. 

"Oh,  yes,  it  will  come  out  all  right!"  he  sneered. 
"We'll  make  it  all  up  in  time!  It's  too  late,  Merri- 
well." 

"You  think  so,  that's  all." 

"I  know  so.     She's  married !" 

Frank  gasped. 


322      Bart  Hodge  Makes  a  Confession. 

"Married?" 
''Yes." 

"Married?  Why,  she  is  a  mere  girl!  And  you — 
where  do  you  come  in?" 

"I'm  not  in  it,  and  I  think  I'm  lucky.  That's  not 
worrying  me." 

"But  how — how  did  it  happen?  Why  did  you 
throw  her  over  ?  or  why  did  she  go  back  on  you  ?" 

"I'm  not  going  to  tell  the  whole  story  now,  Frank; 
but  the  fact  is  that  she  lacked  faith  in  me.  I  rather 
think  I'm  dead  lucky  to  get  out  of  it,  for  she  was 
rather  weak  and  fickle.  You  know  her  half-sister,  Isa 
Isban,  although  stunningly  handsome,  is  wild  and  reck- 
less. She  was  married  to  a  gambler  and  maker  of 
crooked  money." 

"But  he  is  dead — was  shot,  and  Isa  disappeared." 

"Well,  she  has  reappeared,  but  I'll  tell  you  about  that 
later.  It's  Vida  I  wish  to  tell  you  about  now.  You 
know  Vida's  old  uncle  and  aunt  never  did  have  a  high 
opinion  of  me." 

"Not  till  they  discovered  that  you  were  a  brave  and 
honorable  fellow.  Then  they  seemed  to  turn  about 
and  think  you  one  of  the  finest  chaps  in  the  world." 


Bart  Hodge  Makes  a  Confession.      323 

"They  got  over  it,"  Hodge  sneered.  "They  came 
to  think  me  anything  but  brave  and  honorable.  They 
believed  me  a  drunkard,  a  gambler  and  a  thief !" 

Frank  was  shocked,  and  he  showed  it. 

"Impossible!"  he  cried.  "How  could  they  think 
such  a  thing  of  you?  They  had  no  reason  to  think 
so!" 

Bart  turned  crimson  till  it  extended  all  over  his  face 
and  neck. 

"You  don't  know,  Merry,"  he  muttered,  positively 
showing  shame.  "I'm  not  like  you — I  make  a  bad 
break  sometimes.  It  is  hard  for  me  to  resist  tempta- 
tion, and — well,  I  was  tempted,  and  I  succumbed. 
That's  all." 

"Succumbed?  What  do  you  mean?  I  know  your 
heart  is  right,  old  fellow,  and  you  did  not  do  anything 
wrong  intentionally." 

"Appearances  were  against  me — I  confess  it.  First 
— well,  I  was  seen  drunk.  That  is,  I  seemed  to  be 
drunk,  but  I  swear  to  you  that  I  had  not  taken  but  one 
drink,  and  that  was  not  enough  to  knock  out  a  ten- 
year-old  boy.  It  was  drugged,  Frank — I  know  it !" 


324      Bart  Hodge  Makes  a  Confession. 

"Drugged?    Who  did  such  a  villainous  trick?" 

"My  enemy — a  young  fellow  who  loved  Vida.  He 
has  a  father  who's  got  the  rocks.  He's  older  than  I, 
and  I  thought  him  my  friend.  I  met  him  at  her  home. 
His  name  is  Hart  Davis." 

"The  whelp!     But  did  Vida  see  you?" 

"Yes.  I  had  been  out  with  Davis  that  night.  In 
the  morning  I  was  found  on  the  steps  of  Vida's  home, 
apparently  dead  drunk." 

"How  came  you  there?" 

"I  didn't  know  at  the  time.  Since  then — well,  it  is 
settled  in  my  mind.  Davis  said  I  left  him  to  go  to  the 
place  where  I  was  boarding  in  Carson  City.  He  said 
I  seemed  to  be  all  right  when  I  left  him,  and  so  he  let 
me  go.  He  appeared  very  shocked  to  think  such  a 
misfortune  had  happened  me:  but — burn  him! — I  be- 
lieve he  gave  me  knock-out  drops — I  believe  he  carried 
me  to  that  house — I  believe  he  left  me  on  the  steps, 
where  I  was  found!" 

Frank's  eyes  were  blazing  now,  and  the  look  on  his 
expressive  face  told  how  he  felt  toward  Mr.  Hart 
Davis. 


Bart  Hodge  Makes  a  Confession.      325 

"And  did  Vida  throw  you  over  for  that  ?"  he  asked, 
in  an  indignant  manner. 

"Not  entirely  for  that.  She  was  very  shocked  and 
cold  toward  me,  (but  when  I  was  arrested " 

"Arrested?"  gasped  Frank.     "Arrested  for  what?" 

"For  stealing  a  watch." 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

FRANK   BECOMES   ALARMED. 

"For  stealing?" 

Frank's  astonishment  was  so  great  that  he  found  it 
difficult  to  utter  the  words. 

"Yes,"  nodded  Bart,  gloomily,  "for  stealing  a 
watch." 

"But — but  I  know  you  never  did  such  a The 

man  who  would  think  such  a  thing  ought  to  be  shot !" 

"The  watch  was  found  on  my  person,"  said  Bart, 
slowly. 

"Found  on  you,  was  it?  I  don't  care!  I  know  you 
didn't  steal  it.  Nothing  could  make  me  believe  that." 

A  gleam  of  satisfaction  seemed  to  pierce  the  fierce 
look  on  Hodge's  face,  as  a  shaft  of  sunshine  sometimes 
pierces  a  black  and  sullen  cloud. 

"You  are  right,  Merriwell,"  he  said ;  "I  did  not  steal 
it.  Give  me  your  hand.  Oh,  it  is  good — so  good  to 
have  some  one  in  the  world  who  has  confidence  in 
me!  It  has  seemed  of  late  that  everybody  was  down 
on  me. 


Frank  Becomes  Alarmed.  327 

He  grasped  Frank's  hand,  and  pressed  it  warmly. 

"You  have  been  up  against  hard  luck,  old  friend/' 
came  feelingly  from  Frank.  "And  the  girl  shook  you 
quite  after  you  were  arrested?5' 

"Yes." 

"Were  you  tried?" 

"Yes." 

"Convicted?" 

"No." 

"Still  she  threw  you  over?" 

"She  did." 

"Well,  you  are  dead  lucky!  Such  a  girl  is  not 
worth  thinking  about!  Don't  let  that  break  you  up^ 
Hodge." 

"Wait,"  said  Bart    "I  have  not  told  you  all." 

"Go  on." 

"I  was  arrested  in  one  of  the  most  notorious  gam- 
bling houses  in  Carson." 

It  was  plain  that  the  confession  cost  Hodge  much, 
for  his  shame  was  evident,  and  he  hastily  added : 

"Give  it  to  me,  Merriwell !  I  deserve  it !  Blow  me 
up!" 

"I  shall  do  nothing  of  the  kind,"  said  Frank,  slowly, 


328  Frank  Becomes  Alarmed. 

"although  I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  what  you  have  told 
me.  Were  you  in  that  house  to  play  ?" 

"Yes." 

"That  is  the  bad  part  of  it,  for  you  know  you  can't 
let  gambling  alone  once  you  get  at  it.  I  had  hoped 
you  were  free  of  your  old  bad  habits." 

"You  never  hoped  so  more  than  I!"  cried  Bart. 
"But  it's  no  use — I  can't  reform.  Davis  induced  me 
to  go  to  the  gambling  house,  and  then  he  dropped  me 
like  a  live  coal  when  I  was  pinched." 

"But  you  said  they  proved  nothing  against  you." 

"No,  they  could  not  prove  anything,  for  I  proved 
that  I  bought  the  watch  of  a  young  man  who  offered 
it  to  me  at  a  bargain.  That  cleared  me  of  that 
charge." 

"But  Vida  Milburn  threw  you  down  just  as  hard?" 

"Yes." 

"Why?" 

"Don't  you  see,  I  was  arrested  in  a  gambling  house 
while  playing  roulette.  She  had  seen  me  when  I  ap- 
peared to  be  drunk.  That  was  enough.  Even  though 
I  did  not  steal,  I  drank  and  gambled.  Her  aunt  for- 
bade her  seeing  me.  She  sent  back  my  presents,  and 


Frank  Becomes  Alarmed.  329 

told  me  we  must  become  as  strangers.  Two  months 
later  she  married  Hart  Davis." 

Frank's  hand  fell  on  the  shoulder  of  his  old-time 
friend. 

"It  was  hard  luck,  Hodge,"  he  said,  in  a  straight- 
forward manner,  "and  you  were  not  entirely  blameless. 
At  the  same  time,  it  is  certain  that  girl  did  not  care  for 
you  as  she  should,  and  she  might  have  made  you  mis- 
erable if  you  had  won  her.  The  girl  who  really  loves 
a  fellow  will  believe  in  him  and  his  honor  till  there  is 
not  a  single  tattered  remnant  of  his  reputation  to  which 
she  can  pin  her  faith.  I  tell  you,  old  chum,  you  may 
congratulate  yourself  that  you  got  off  as  you  did." 

"I  have  tried  to  do  so,"  said  Hodge,  "and  I  re- 
solved to  be  a  man  and  forget  her.  But  it  was  harder 
to  forget  than  I  dreamed,  and  then,  when  I  was  be- 
ginning to  forget,  that  other  came  upon  me  again." 

"That  other?    What  other?" 

"Her  half-sister." 

"Isa  Isban?" 

"Yes." 

"You  met  Isa?" 

"In  Sacramento." 


3)o  Frank  Becomes  Alarmed. 

"And  she  looks  as  she  did  long  ago — just  as  hand- 
some?" 

"A  hundred  times  more  so!"  cried  Bart,  his  eyes 
kindling  and  a  flush  suffusing  his  cheeks.  "Merri- 
well,  she  is  the  handsomest  girl  I  ever  knew!" 

Frank  whistled,  regarding  Bart  searchingly  and  un- 
easily. 

"What's  this?  what's  this?"  he  exclaimed.  "What 
has  she  been  doing  with  you?  Why,  hang  me  if  I 
don't  believe — I  know  you  were  hard  hit  by  her!" 

"I  was,"  confessed  Bart,  flushing  still  more.  "When 
I  first  saw  her  I  thought  her  Vida,  but  she  seemed  to 
have  grown  more  beautiful  than  ever,  and  I  could  not 
help  looking  at  her.  Then  I  discovered  there  was  a 
difference — I  saw  it  was  not  Vida  but  Isa.  When  I 
spoke  to  her  she  remembered  me,  and  then — well,  we 
became  very  friendly.  I  told  her  everything,  and  she 
laughed.  She  said  Vida  was  too  soft  for  anything — 
said  the  old  aunt  made  Vida  do  anything  she  wished, 
and  the  girl  hadn't  spirit  enough  to  do  as  she  desired. 
She  said  she  would  stick  to  a  fellow  if  she  loved  him 
even  though  he  were  jailed  for  twenty  years.  There 
was  spirit,  dash,  go  about  her,  Merriwell !  She  fasci- 
nated me,  I  saw  in  her  what  I  had  missed  in  Vida," 


Frank  Becomes  Alarmed.  331 

Frank  shook  his  head  in  a  very  sober  manner. 

"My  dear  fellow,"  he  said,  "do  you  remember  Isa 
had  a  husband?" 

"Yes,  but  he  is  dead,"  said  Bart,  quickly. 

"I  know  that;  but  do  you  remember  the  sort  of  fel- 
low he  was?" 

"Of  course;  he  was  a  counterfeiter." 

"Exactly,  and  Isa  'shoved  the  queer'  for  him.  She 
didn't  do  a  thing  to  me  the  first  time  we  met.  I 
changed  a  fifty-dollar  bill  for  her,  and  when  I  tried  to 
pass  the  bill  I  came  near  being  arrested.  You  remem- 
ber that?" 

"Sure." 

"I  hardly  think  that  is  the  sort  of  girl  you  wish  to 
get  stuck  on,  old  boy." 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  Bart,  rather  defi- 
antly. "She  stuck  to  her  husband  through  thick  and 
thin,  and  I  think  all  the  more  of  her  for  it." 

Frank  was  alarmed. 

"My  dear  fellow,"  he  cried,  "you  are  an  easy  mark. 
That  girl  is  shrewd — altogether  too  shrewd  for  you  to 
match  your  wits  against  hers.  She  will  play  you  for 
a  fool — I  am  sure  of  it." 

Bart  reddened  again  and  then  turned  very  pale,  his 


332  Frank  Becomes  Alarmed. 

manner  indicating  great  embarrassment  He  drew 
from  Frank  a  bit,  and  something  in  his  air  added  to 
Merriwell's  alarm. 

"I  hope  you  haven't  been  very  friendly  with  Isa 
Isban,"  Frank  said. 

"I  might  have  been  more  friendly,  but  she  had  a 
foolish  idea  that  it  would  injure  me  if  I  were  seen  with 
her  often." 

"She  had  such  an  idea?" 

"Yes;  and  that  goes  to  show  the  girl's  heart  is  all 
right  She  had  consideration  for  me." 

Frank  <bit  his  lip  and  scowled. 

"It  is  remarkable,"  he  confessed.  "Are  you  sure  it 
was  out  of  consideration  for  you  that  she  did  not  wish 
you  seen  with  her?" 

"Sure?    Of  course." 

"It  seems  strange.  It  seems  that  the  kind  of  life 
she  has  led  with  that  reckless  coiner  husband  would 
be  sure  to  make  her  careless  of  others — make  her  hard 
and  heartless." 

"It  is  not  strange  you  think  so,  Merriwell ;  but  it  is 
because  you  do  not  know  her.  I  honor  and  respect 
her  for  standing  by  her  husband,  even  when  she  knew 
he  was  a  rascal,  and  I  believe  she  has  a  heart  and  soul 


Frank  Becomes  Alarmed.  333 

a  thousand  times  more  noble  than  the  heart  and  soul 
of  her  half-sister." 

"Bad,  bad!"  exclaimed  Frank.  "Look  here,  Bart, 
you  must  go  along  with  me.  That  is  settled.  Isa 
Isban  will  ruin  you  if  you  do  not  escape  from  her  influ- 
ence." 

A  look  of  indignation  settled  on  Hodge's  face,  and 
he  drew  away. 

"If  you  knew  her  well,  Frank,  I  would  not  pardon 
you  for  saying  that  about  her ;  but,  as  you  know  noth- 
ing about  her,,  I  will  overlook  it.  But,  old  fellow, 
please  don't  speak  of  Miss  Isban  in  that  way." 

"Miss  Isban?  Her  name  is  Mrs.  Scott;  her  hus- 
band's name  was  Paul  Scott." 

"I  know,  but  she  has  resumed  her  maiden  name  since 
his  death.  She  calls  herself  Miss  Isban  now.  You 
should  see  her,  Merriwell.  She  looks  like  a  sweet  girl 
graduate — a  girl  of  eighteen,  and " 

"She  must  be  twenty-one  or  two." 

"I  don't  know,  and  I  don't  care.  She  does  not  look 
it,  and  I  believe  she  is  a  splendid  girl.  I  honor  and 
respect  her." 

"Great  Scott!"  thought  Frank;  "Hodge  is  in  the 
greatest  peril  of  his  life!  I  am  sure  of  it.  I  am  sure 


334  Frank  Becomes  Alarmed. 

that  girl  will  work  his  utter  downfall  if  he  is  not  saved 
from  her  influence.  It  is  my  duty  to  find  a  way  to 
save  him.  I  will!" 

When  Frank  made  up  his  mind  to  do  a  thing,  he  bent 
all  his  energies  to  accomplish  the  end.  In  the  past 
Hodge  had  been  easily  influenced,  but  he  felt  sure  Isa 
Isban  had  a  hold  on  the  lad  that  could  not  be  broken 
with  ease.  The  task  must  be  accomplished  by  clever 
work. 

"Where  is  she  now  ?"  Merry  asked. 

"I  don't  know." 

"Don't?     How  is  that?" 

"Well,  you  see,  I — I  left  Sacramento  rather — rather 
suddenly,"  faltered  Bart. 

"Suddenly?  Explain  it,  old  chum.  Why  did  you 
leave  Sacramento  suddenly?  I  trust  you  did  not  get 
into  trouble  there?" 

Hodge  ground  his  heel  into  the  ground,  seeming 
quite  occupied  in  digging  a  hole  in  that  manner.  Sud- 
denly he  started  and  listened. 

"A  horse  is  coming  this  way — up  the  trail !"  he  ex- 
claimed. "It  is  coming  at  a  hot  pace,  as  if  hard  rid- 
den." 

"Let  it  come.     That  needn't  bother  us.     Answer 


Frank  Becomes  Alarmed.  335 

my  questions,  Bart.  You  know  I  am  your  friend,  and 
there  should  be  perfect  trust  and  no  secrets  between 
close  friends." 

But  Hodge  did  not  seem  to  hear  those  words.  He 
was  listening  to  the  hoofbeats  of  the  galloping  horse, 
and  his  face  had  grown  pale. 

"Look  here,  Merriwell,"  he  hastily  exclaimed,  "the 
rider  of  that  horse  may  be  a  person  I  do  not  care  to 
meet." 

Bart  got  up  hastily,  and  Frank  arose,  saying : 

"You  needn't  be  afraid  of  him.  The  other  boys  are 
good  fighters,  and  there  is  no  single  man  in  this  country 
that  can  do  you  up  while  you  are  with  this  crowd. 
We  will  stand  by  you." 

"It's  not  that;  you  don't  understand.  I  must  not 
be  seen.  I'll  get  out  of  sight,  and  you  must  bluff  him 
off,  if  he  asks  about  me.  That's  all.  Here  he  comes !" 

A  glimpse  of  the  horseman  was  obtained  as  he  flitted 
along  between  the  great  trees. 

Immediately  Hodge  slipped  behind  a  tree,  and  lost  no 
time  in  getting  out  of  view. 

The  horseman  came  on  swiftly,  and  the  boys  saw 
that  he  was  a  large  man  with  a  grizzled  beard  that  had 


336  Frank  Becomes  Alarmed. 

once  been  coal  black.  He  was  roughly  dressed,  with 
his  pantaloons  tucked  into  his  boots. 

As  he  approached  the  man  eyed  the  boys  closely. 
Close  at  hand  he  drew  up,  saying  in  a  harsh  voice : 

"Wa-al,  who  are  you,  and  whatever  are  yer  doing 
here?" 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

ARREST     AND     ESCAPE. 

Frank  was  inclined  to  resent  the  stranger's  words 
and  manner. 

"I  don't  understand  how  that  concerns  you,  sir,"  he 
said,  rather  stiffly. 

"Hey,"  cried  the  man,  glaring  at  Merry.  "Don't 
git  insolent,  youngster!  I  don't  like  it." 

"Your  question  was  impertinent." 

"Whatever  is  that?  Be  careful.  I  don't  want  any 
foolin'o" 

Frank  smiled  at  this,  which  seemed  to  make  the 
horseman  angry. 

"Hang  ye!"  he  exclaimed.  "You  want  to  be  re- 
spectful, for  you're  liable  to  get  into  trouble  with  me, 
and  you  won't  like  that." 

"Shoo  fly!"  chuckled  Toots,  showing  his  big  white 
teeth  in  a  grin.  "G'way  dar,  man!  Yo'  gibs  me  de 
fever  an*  chillins." 

"Wa-al,  dern  me!"  roared  the  man,  growing  very 


338  Arrest  and  Escape. 

red  in  the  face.  "It's  the  first  time  an  ordinary  nigger 
ever  dared  to  speak  to  Bill  Higgins  that  way." 

"Hole  on,  sar!  I  ain't  no  ordumnary  nigger,  sar. 
I's  a  cullud  gemman  ob  'stinction,  sar,  an'  po'  white 
trash  cayarn't  talk  to  me  lek  dat — no,  sar!" 

"Choke  off  that  critter!"  growled  the  mar,,  address- 
ing Frank.  "If  yer  don't,  I'll  shoot  him  full  of  holes !" 

"I  wouldn't  advise  you  to  do  that,"  came  calmly 
from  Merriwell.  "You  might  get  into  serious  trouble 
if  you  did." 

"Trouble? — trouble  over  shootin'  a  nigger?"  snorted 
the  stranger.  "Wa-al,  I  think  not!  I've  got  the  rec- 
ord of  killin'  a  dozen  white  men,  and " 

"Thirteen  is  an  unlucky  number  you  know.  With- 
out doubt  you  will  be  hanged,  as  you  deserve,  when 
you  kill  the  thirteenth  one." 

"Mebbe  so,  but  a  nigger  won't  count.  I'll  bore  him 
if  he  opens  his  trap  again !" 

"Land  ob  mercy!"  gurgled  Toots,  dodging  behir.  : 
a  tree.  "Dat  man  am  crazzy  fo'  suah !  Look  out  f o' 
him,  chilluns ;  dar  am  no  tellin'  when  he'll  tek  a  noshun 
inter  his  fool  haid  teh  shoot  you  all." 

"You  must  be  a  very  bad  man,"  said  Merriwell,  sar- 
castically. 


Arrest  and  Escape.  339 

"I  am;  and  now  yer  realize  it,  mebbe  you'll  have  a 
little  more  respect.  Who  be  yer?  an'  what're  yer 
doing  here?" 

"If  you  will  show  that  you  have  any  right  to  ask 
those  questions,  I  will  answer  them." 

"Right!  Why,  hang  it!  I'm  ther  sheriff  of  this 
county  1" 

"Well,  what  have  we  done  that  the  sheriff  of  this 
county  or  any  other  county  in  California  should  come 
around  and  demand  our  names,  as  if  we  were  crimi- 
nals?" 

"Ye' re  suspicious  characters." 

"Is  that  it?  And  we  look  like  dangerous  crim- 
inals?" 

"I've  seen  fellows  what  didn't  look  more  dangerous 
than  you  as  was  rather  tough." 

"Well,  we  are  not  tough,  and  we  have  no  reason 
for  concealing  our  names." 

Then  Frank  gave  the  name  of  each  of  the  boys, 
pointing  them  out  as  he  did  so,  and  told  how  they 
happened  to  be  in  California. 

Bill  Higgins,  as  the  man  had  called  himself,  listened 
and  looked  them  over.  His  manner  seemed  to  change, 
and  he  said: 


34°  Arrest  and  Escape. 

"You  tell  that  pretty  straight,  and  I  reckon  you're 
not  giving  me  a  crooked  deal,  but  whar's  to'other  one  ?" 

"What  other  one?" 

"The  one  what  owns  the  other  bisuckle.  Thar's 
only  five  of  you,  and  here  are  six  bisuckles." 

The  keen  eyes  of  the  sheriff  made  this  discovery, 
and  Frank  realized  that  Hodge's  wheel  should  have 
been  concealed. 

"Oh,  the  other  fellow  has  just  stepped  aside  to  look 
at  the  big  trees,"  he  explained.  "This  is  the  first  time 
we  have  ever  seen  trees  like  these.  They  are  wonders, 
sir.  Do  you  have  them  all  over  the  State?  How  tall 
are  they?  Can  you  give  us  the  dimensions  of  the 
largest  tree  discovered  in  this  State?  We  desire  some 
information  concerning  them." 

"I  see  ye  do,"  said  Higgins,  with  sarcasm,  "an*  I  de- 
sire a  little  information  myself.  You'll  answer  my 
questions." 

Frank  feared  his  ruse  would  fail,  but  he  suavely 
said: 

"Oh,  certainly — of  course,  sir.  We  shall  be  pleased 
to  answer  your  questions.  Do  these  trees  make  good 
timber  for  building  purposes?  Are  they  difficult  to 
work  up  ?  How  thick  is  the  bark  ?  And  how " 


Arrest  and  Escape.  341 

"That'll  do!"  roared  the  sheriff,  fiercely.  "I'm  no 
bureau  of  information.  Whar  is  the  other  feller?" 

Frank  assumed  a  dignified  and  injured  air. 

"As  you  do  not  seem  inclined  to  answer  my  ques- 
tions, I  must  decline  to  answer  yours,"  he  said,  coldly. 
"If  you  will  drive  along,  it  will  be  agreeable  to  us." 

Higgins  showed  his  yellow  teeth  through  his  griz- 
zled beard. 

"Oh-ho!"  he  grated.  "So  that's  the  trick.  Wa-al, 
I  know  t'other  chap  is  near,  an'  I'm  goin'  ter  see  him. 
That  is  settled." 

Off  his  horse  he  sprang,  leaving  the  animal  to  stand, 
and  then,  to  the  surprise  of  all,  he  ran  to  the  tree  be- 
hind which  Bart  was  concealed,  dashed  around  it,  and 
gave  a  shout  of  triumph. 

A  moment  later  the  sheriff  reappeared,  dragging 
Hodge  by  the  collar. 

"Don't  try  ter  git  away!"  he  commanded.  "If  ye 
do,  you'll  be  sorry.  I  don't  fool  with  a  critter  of 
your  caliber." 

"Let  go!"  cried  Bart,  indignantly.  "What  are  you 
trying  to  do  with  me?  Take  your  hands  off,  sir!" 

"Not  till  I  lodge  ye  behind  bars,  young  feller. 
You're  under  arrest,  so  cool  down  and  keep  still." 


342  Arrest  and  Escape. 

"Why  am  I  arrested?" 

"Oh,  you  don't  know ;  oh,  no !" 

"Answer  my  question,  sir!     Why  am  I  arrested?" 

"Now,  don't  go  to  gettin'  funny  and  givin'  orders. 
It  ain't  necessary  to  answer." 

Frank  stepped  forward. 

"It  is  no  more  than  right  that  you  should  tell  me 
why  you  have  arrested  my  friend,  sir,"  he  said. 

"Ho !  ho !"  cried  the  sheriff.  "So  he  is  your  friend ! 
I  thought  as  much !  Well,  don't  you  get  too  frisky,  or 
I  may  take  a  notion  to  arrest  you,  too." 

"Such  a  thing  would  be  an  outrage,  and  I  believe 
you  have  perpetrated  an  outrage  in  arresting  Mr. 
Hodge." 

"I  don't  care  what  you  think !" 

"At  the  same  time,  I  see  no  reason  why  you  should 
refuse  to  tell  me  why  you  have  arrested  him." 

"Jive  him  gesse — I  mean  give  him  Jesse!"  fluttered 
Rattleton,  as  he  sought  Frank's  side.  "You  know 
we  will  stand  by  you,  old  man.  If  you  say  the  word, 
we'll  take  Hodge  away  from  him." 

Bill  Higgins'  ears  were  sharp,  and  he  caught  the 
words.  Like  a  flash  he  whipped  out  a  huge  revolver, 
which  he  held  in  a  menacing  manner,  while  he  growled : 


Arrest  and  Escape.  343 

"Thirteen  may  be  an  unlucky  number,  but  skin  me 
if  I  don't  make  it  thirteen  or  more  if  you  chaps  tries 
the  trick !" 

He  looked  as  if  he  meant  what  he  said. 

"Steady,  fellows,"  warned  Merriwell,  as  the  boys 
gathered  at  his  back,  ready  for  anything.  "Don't  be 
hasty." 

"It  won't  be  good  fer  yer  if  you  are !"  muttered  Hig- 
gins. 

"We  can  take  Hodge  away  from  him — I  know  we 
can!"  whispered  Diamond,  eagerly.  "Say  the  word, 
and  we'll  jump  him !" 

"That's  right,"  nodded  Browning,  with  deliberation. 

Higgins  backed  off  a  bit,  still  holding  fast  to  Hodge, 
and  handling  his  revolver  threateningly. 

"Blamed  if  I  don't  take  the  whole  gang  in!"  he 
shouted.  "I  reckon  you're  all  standin'  in  together 
with  this  feller." 

"You  will  have  a  warm  time  taking  in  this  crowd," 
said  Frank,  quickly.  "We  are  friends  of  Mr.  Hodge, 
and  therefore  we  think  it  no  more  than  right  that  we 
should  know  why  he  is  arrested." 

"If  that's  goin'  to  satisfy  ye,  you  shall  know.  He's 
arrested  for  shovin'  the  queer." 


344  Arrest  and  Escape. 

"Shoving — the — queer  ?" 

"That's  whatever!" 

"But — but  there  must  be  a  mistake." 

"Bill  Higgins  never  makes  mistakes." 

Frank  was  shocked,  stunned.  He  looked  at  Bart, 
and  Hodge's  face,  which  had  been  pale,  turned  crimson 
with  apparent  shame.  It  was  like  a  blow  to  Merriwell, 
for  the  conviction  that  Hodge  was  guilty  came  over 
him. 

"It  was  that  wretched  girl — she  did  it!"  he  thought. 
"She  has  led  him  into  this.  She  has  influenced  him  to 
put  out  some  of  that  bogus  money,  and  he,  like  the  in- 
fatuated fool  that  he  was,  did  it  willingly.  Oh,  it  is  a 
shame!" 

Bart  stole  a  glance  at  Frank,  and  saw  by  the  expres- 
sion of  Merry's  face  that  he  was  convinced  of  his  folly. 
Immediately  Hodge  seemed  to  wilt,  as  if  hope  had 
gone  out  of  him.  The  color  left  his  face,  and  it  be- 
came wan  and  drawn,  with  an  expression  of  anguish 
that  aroused  Frank's  deepest  pity. 

"I  don't  care !"  Merriwell  mentally  exclaimed.  "He 
did  it  because  he  was  hypnotized — because  her  influence 
compelled  him  to  do  so.  If  he  is  brought  to  trial  now 


Arrest  and  Escape.  345 

it  will  mean  his  utter  ruin.  What  can  I  do  for  him? 
Can  I  do  anything?" 

Bart  saw  the  change  that  came  over  Frank's  face, 
but  did  not  understand  what  it  meant.  Instead,  no- 
ticing a  hard,  determined  look,  he  fancied  his  former 
friend  was  hardening  his  heart  against  him. 

Of  a  sudden  Hodge  gave  the  sheriff  a  shove  and 
trip,  sending  him  sprawling  on  the  ground,  his  re- 
volver being  discharged  as  he  fell.  Fortunately  the 
bullet  harmed  no  one. 

Like  a  flash,  the  desperate  boy  darted  away.  He 
caught  his  wheel,  which  stood  against  a  tree,  and  was 
on  it  in  a  moment.  His  feet  caught  the  pedals,  and 
away  he  went  down  the  road. 

Bill  Higgins  scrambled  up,  uttering  language  that 
was  shocking  to  hear. 

"The  cursed  whelp!"  he  roared.  "He  can't  ride 
faster,  than  bullets  can  travel!  I'll  fill  him  full  of 
lead!" 

Then  he  flung  up  the  revolver. 

Merriwell  was  quite  as  swift  in  his  movements. 

"No,  you  don't!" 

With  that  cry  on  his  lips,  Frank  knocked  the  weapon 


346  Arrest  and  Escape. 

aside  just  as  it  was  discharged,  and  the  bullet  sped  sky- 
ward through  the  tree  tops. 

Then  Bill  Higgins  whirled  and  tried  to  shoot  the 
boy  who  had  saved  Bart  Hodge,  but  the  heavy  fist  of 
Bruce  Browning  fell  on  his  temple,  and  he  dropped 
like  a  log  to  the  ground. 

Frank  picked  up  the  sheriffs  revolver,  which  had 
fallen  from  his  hand,  and,  when  Higgins  sat  up,  he 
found  himself  looking  into  the  muzzle  of  his  own 
weapon. 

"Get  out!" 

Merriwell  uttered  the  words,  and  Higgins  took  the 
hint. 

"All  right,"  he  snarled ;  "but  this  doesn't  end  it !  I'll 
make  all  of  yer  suffer  f er  this !" 

He  arose,  mounted  his  waiting  horse,  and  galloped 
away  after  Hodge. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

ISA   ISBAN. 

Late  that  same  afternoon  the  five  boys  were  riding 
westward,  when  Frank  said: 

"Something  mysterious  has  happened,  fellows." 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Jack,  who  was  instantly  inter- 
ested in  any  mystery. 

"A  short  time  ago  I  saw  a  horseman  away  down 
the  road  here." 

"Yes." 

"He  was  coming  toward  us.** 

"Well?" 

"We  have  not  met  him. 

"No." 

"Look — the  road  lies  before  us  for  a  mile.  Where 
is  he?" 

"Not  in  sight,  that  is  sure." 

"He  must  have  turned  off  somewhere,"  said  Rat- 
tleton. 

"That  is  true,  but  we  have  seen  no  road  that  turned 
off  from  this." 


348  Isa  Isban. 

"Perhaps  he  saw  us  and  turned  aside  to  avoid  us." 

"Or  it  may  have  been  Bill  Higgins,  the  sheriff,  and 
he  is  lying  in  wait  to  arrest  us  all,"  suggested  Brown- 
ing. 

"It  was  not  Higgins,"  assured  Merriwell.  "It  was 
a  young  man,  I  am  sure,  although  I  obtained  but  a 
glimpse  of  him  through  the  trees.  We  have  passed 
no  house  since  then." 

"Never  mind  him,"  said  Harry.  "We  must  find 
a  place  to  stop  for  the  night." 

"I  wish  we  might  learn  what  has  happened  to  Hodge 
before  we  stop.  I  don't  believe  Higgins  recaptured 
him." 

"It's  ten  chances  to  one  we'll  never  hear  anything 
more  about  him  while  we  are  in  California." 

"I  know  that,  and  I  am  sorry.  I  wanted  to  keep 
•him  with  us,  for  he  is  in  great  need  of  friends  to 
straighten  him  up.  He  has  fallen  in  with  bad  com- 
panions, and  they  are  ruining  him." 

"I  should  say  so!"  exclaimed  Diamond.  "He  is  a 
fool  to  let  himself  be  worked  by  a  girl." 

"Don't  take  Hodge  for  a  fool,  Jack.  He  is  any- 
thing but  a  fool,  but  he  is  easily  influenced,  and  he  is 
proud  and  passionate.  Fairly  started  on  the  wrong 


Isa  Isban.  349 

road,  he  may  go  to  ruin  in  a  hurry.  If  we  could  get 
him  out  of  this  State — save  him  from  arrest !  Should 
he  be  arrested,  tried  and  condemned,  it  would  mean 
his  utter  and  complete  ruin.  After  serving  a  term  in 
prison,  he  would  feel  the  disgrace  so  deeply  that  noth- 
ing could  save  him." 

"Well,  you  have  taken  a  big  contract  if  you  are 
going  to  try  to  save  him  now,"  Diamond  declared. 

"It  might  be  done,  but Hello !  this  looks  like  a 

path." 

Frank  was  off  his  wheel  in  a  moment,  and  he  quickly 
decided  that  a  path  led  from  the  regular  trail  into  the 
dark  shadows  to  the  forest  to  the  northward. 

"Wonder  where  it  would  take  us,"  he  muttered. 
And  then,  seized  by  a  sudden  inspiration,  he  cried : 

"Come  on,  fellows;  let's  go  on  an  exploring  expe- 
dition." 

Diamond  protested,  and  Browning  growled  after 
his  usual  lazy  manner,  but  Frank  was  supported  by 
Rattleton  and  Toots,  and  the  majority  ruled. 

The  path,  where  it  turned  off  from  the  road,  seemed 
to  be  somewhat  hidden,  but  it  soon  became  plain 
enough,  and  they  were  able  to  ride  along  in  single  file, 
Merrhvell  leading. 


350  Isa  Isban. 

They  had  proceeded  in  this  manner  about  a  mile 
when  they  came  in  sight  of  a  small  cabin  that  was  set 
.1  own  in  a  little  hollow  amid  the  trees. 

The  place  looked  lonely  and  deserted,  but  Frank 
rode  straight  toward  it,  and  the  others  followed. 

The  boys  dismounted  before  the  cabin,  and  Merri- 
well  rapped  loudly  on  the  door.  He  was  forced  to 
knock  three  times  before  he  obtained  a  response. 

The  door  opened  slowly,  and  a  bent  and  feeble-look- 
ing man  with  dirty  white  hair  looked  at  them. 

"Who  are  you?"  he  asked,  in  a  cracked  voice,  sus- 
picion showing  plainly  in  his  eyes,  which  were  bright 
and  clear  for  all  of  his  age. 

"Travelers,"  replied  Frank,  cheerfully.  "We  were 
passing,  and,  as  night  is  at  hand,  we  decided  to  ask 
shelter  here." 

"It  is  useless  to  ask,"  the  man  declared,  with  a 
shake  of  his  head.  "I  can't  keep  you.  It  is  very 
strange  that  you  should  be  passing  this  place.  The 
road  does  not  come  within  a  mile  of  here." 

"That  is  true,  but  we  found  a  path,  and  became  con- 
vinced that  it  must  lead  to  a  house,  so  here  we  are." 

"You  have  had  your  trouble  for  nothing;  I  shall  not 
keep  you." 


Isa  Isban.  351 

"Hospitable  old  man!"  murmured  Browning,  sar- 
castically. 

Despite  his  age,  the  man  was  not  hard  of  hearing, 
for  he  caught  the  big  fellow's  words  and  shot  him  a 
look. 

"Surely  you  will  not  turn  us  away  now/'  urged 
Frank.  "It  will  be  dark  by  the  time  we  reach  the  road 
again." 

"That  is  nothing  to  me," 

The  old  man  was  about  to  close  the  door,  when,  to 
the  astonishment  of  the  boys,  a  musical,  girlish  voice 
said: 

"Let  them  stop  here,  Drew.  I  know  one  of  the 
young  gentlemen." 

The  bicyclists  looked  at  each  other  inquiringly,  won- 
dering which  one  of  them  the  owner  of  the  voice  could 
know.  They  all  felt  a  thrill,  for  this  added  zest  and 
romance  to  the  little  adventure. 

"Am  I  dreaming?"  whispered  Bruce;  "or  did  1 
hear  the  gentle  ripple  of  a  female  voice?" 

"Smoly  hoke!"  gasped  Harry.  "To  find  a  girl  in 
this  spone  lot — I  mean  lone  spot !  It  is  a  marvel !" 

"An'   dat  voice  ob  hers  am   lek  honey  dew  from 


352  Isa  Isban. 

heabben,  chilluns — 'deed  it  am!"  gurgled  Toots,  poet- 
ically. 

The  old  man  seemed  astonished  and  in  doubt. 

"Do  you  mean  it,  my  dear?"  he  asked.  "It  was 
on  your  account " 

"Never  mind  me,  Drew,"  came  back  that  musical 
voice.  "It  would  be  a  shame  to  turn  them  away." 

"But— but " 

"There  are  no  buts  about  it!"  cried  the  voice 
sharply,  almost  angrily.  "You  have  heard  what  I 
said!  They  may  stop  here." 

"All  right — all  right,  if  you  say  so.  There's  noth- 
ing for  them  to  eat,  and  so " 

"I'll  cook  something,  for  you  have  corn  meal  in  the 
house.  Young  men  who  ride  wheels  have  appetites 
that  enable  them  to  eat  anything." 

"All  right — all  right,"  repeated  the  old  man,  vaguely. 

"Let  them  put  their  bicycles  under  the  shed  back 
of  the  house." 

The  old  man  came  out,  closing  the  door. 

"It  is  my  niece,  young  gentlemen,"  he  explained. 
"She  is  very  peculiar,  and — well,  when  she  says  any- 
thing, that  settles  it,  so  you'll  have  to  stay." 

"Under  the  circumstances,"  said  Frank,  his  natural 


Isa  Isban.  353 

delicacy  influencing  him,  although  he  was  rather  curi- 
ous to  see  the  owner  of  that  voice,  "I  am  inclined  to 
think  we're  intruding,  and  we  had  better  go  on." 

For  a  moment  the  face  of  the  old  man  expressed  re- 
lief, and  then  that  look  vanished,  while  he  shook  his 
head. 

"No,"  he  said,  "that  will  not  do  now.  She  has  de- 
cided that  you  shall  stop,  and  she  will  not  leave  any 
hair  on  my  head  if  you  go  away.  You  must  stop." 

"She  must  be  a  gentle  maiden!"  murmured  Bruce, 
with  a  faint  smile. 

The  boys  followed  the  old  man  around  to  a  shed, 
under  which  they  placed  their  wheels.  The  shed  had 
sometimes  been  used  to  shelter  horses,  but  no  horse 
was  there  then. 

"You  mustn't  mind  my  niece,"  said  the  old  man, 
apologetically.  "She  has  been  spoiled,  and  she  is  de- 
termined to  have  her  own  way.  She  runs  the  ranch." 

Again  the  boys  looked  at  each  other. 

"I  wonder  which  of  us  she  knows,"  said  Harry. 

"It  must  be  Merriwell,"  Diamond  declared.  "It 
could  not  be  any  one  else.  This  is  a  joke  on  him." 

Diamond's  ideas  of  a  joke  were  decidedly  peculiar. 

He  seldom  saw  anything  humorous  in  what  pleased 


354  Isa  Isban. 

his  companions,  and  he  took  delight  in  things  which  did 
not  amuse  them  at  all.  He  seldom  laughed  at  any- 
thing. 

Frank  himself  felt  that  he  was  the  one  the  girl 
knew,  if,  indeed,  she  knew  any  of  them,  and  he  was 
wondering  where  he  had  met  her.  In  the  course  of  his 
wanderings  over  the  world  he  had  met  many  girls, 
not  a  few  of  whom  he  had  forgotten  entirely. 

"If  she  is  one  of  your  old  girls,  I'm  going  to  make 
a  stagger  at  cutting  you  out,  old  fellow,"  chuckled 
Rattleton. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know!"  smiled  Frank.  "You're  not 
so  warm !" 

"Just  now  I  don't  see  any  steam  coming  out  of  your 
shoes,"  Harry  shot  back,  quickly.  "You're  not  the 
only  good  thing  on  the  programme ;  you  might  be  cut 
out." 

"Land  sakes,  chilluns!"  exclaimed  Toots,  with  up- 
lifted hands.  "I  nebber  heard  no  such  slanguage  as 
dat— nebber !" 

"Any  of  you  fellows  may  have  the  girl,  if  you  want 
her,"  said  Jack.  "I  have  not  seen  her,  but  I'm  sure 
she  is  a  terror,  and  I  don't  care  for  that  kind." 


Isa  Isban.  355 

They  followed  the  old  man  toward  the  door,  and 
entered  the  house. 

A  lamp  had  been  lighted  while  they  were  dispos- 
ing of  their  wheels,  and  the  girl  was  standing  where 
the  unsatisfactory  light  showed  her  face  as  plainly  as 
was  possible. 

She  was  strikingly  handsome,  with  dark  hair  and 
eyes  and  full  red  lips.  An  expectant  flush  of  color 
was  in  her  cheeks. 

As  Frank  entered,  the  girl  extended  her  hand  to 
him,  saying: 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you  again,  Mr.  Merriwell.  Have 
you  forgotten  me?" 

"Good  gracious!"  cried  Merriwell.  "It  is  Vida 
Milburn!" 

She  tossed  her  head,  her  hand  dropping  by  her  side. 

"That  is  not  complimentary  to  me!"  she  exclaimed. 
"It  shows  you  remembered  my  half-sister  far  better 
than  you  did  me." 

"Your  half-sister?     Then  you  are  not  Vida!" 

"No,  thank  you !" — with  another  haughty  toss  of  the 
head. 

"Then — then  you  must  be — Isa  Isban!" 


356  Isa  Isban. 

"How  remarkable  that  you  should  guess  it,"  she 
said,  with  biting  sarcasm. 

"But — you — you  must  remember  it  has  been  some 
time  since  I  saw  you,  and — and  I  saw  Miss  Melburn 
last." 

"You  saw  me  first,  and  you  were  so  interested  in  me 
that  you  followed  me  from  Reno  to  Carson  City. 
After  that  you  met  my  sister,  and  now  you  mistake  me 
for  her!  I  am  extremely  complimented,  Mr.  Merri- 
well!  Never  mind.  You  are  not  so  many!  Per- 
haps you  will  introduce  your  friends.  Some  of  them 
may  have  a  better  memory  than  you." 

For  once  in  his  life,  at  least,  Frank  was  "rattled." 
He  introduced  Browning  as  Rattling  and  Diamond 
as  Brownton,  while  he  completely  forgot  Harry's 
name. 

The  girl  laughed  sharply,  plainly  enjoying  his  em- 
barrassment. She  shook  hands  with  all  but  Toots, 
saying : 

"Mr.  Merriwell  doesn't  seem  to  be  at  his  best. 
It  is  possible  he  has  ridden  too  far  to-day." 

Then  Frank  pulled  himself  together,  and  imme- 
diately became  as  cool  and  collected  as  usual,  which 
was  no  easy  thing  to  do. 


Isa  Isban.  357 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Miss  Isban,  but  I  was  just  think- 
ing I  had  not  ridden  far  enough." 

He  said  it  in  his  most  suave  manner,  but  the  shot 
went  home,  and  it  brought  still  more  color  to  her 
flushed  cheeks. 

"Oh!"  she  cried,  with  the  same  toss  of  her  head, 
"if  your  wheel  is  not  broken,  it  is  not  too  late  to  make 
several  more  miles  before  absolute  darkness  comes 
on." 

Diamond  edged  up  to  Frank,  and  whispered: 

"Careful,  Merry!  You're  getting  her  very  angry, 
and  she  is  a  mighty  fine  girl.  Go  easy,  old  man!" 

This  was  very  amusing  to  Merriwell,  for  but  a  short 
time  before  Diamond  had  expressed  himself  quite 
freely  in  regard  to  the  girl,  and  it  was  plain  his  ideas 
had  undergone  a  change  since  seeing  her. 

"Don't  worry,"  Frank  returned.  "She  won't  mind 
a  little  scrap.  I  think  she  will  enjoy  it.  She  is  that 
kind." 

This  did  not  seem  to  satisfy  the  young  Virginian, 
who  immeditely  set  about  making  himself  as  agreeable 
as  possible  with  Isa. 

The  boys  were  invited  to  sit  down,  and  seats  were 
provided  for  all  of  them. 


358  Isa  Isban. 

Frank  became  rather  serious,  for  thoughts  ef 
Hodge's  misfortune  began  to  trouble  him,  and  he  re- 
membered that  this  girl  was  responsible  for  it  all. 

Isa  did  not  look  a  day  older  than  when  he  had  last 
seen  her,  and  it  was  hard  to  realize  that  she  was  a 
woman  with  an  experience  and  a  dead  husband. 

Browning  was  silent  and  apparently  contented.  He 
seemed  to  take  great  satisfaction  in  sitting  down  and 
resting. 

After  a  little  silence,  Isa  observed,  seeming  to  take 
a  malicious  satisfaction  in  what  she  said : 

"One  of  Mr.  Merriwell's  friends  had  not  forgotten 
me,  at  least." 

"It  might  have  been  better  for  him  if  he  had,"  re- 
turned Frank,  in  a  manner  that  surprised  himself,  for 
never  before  had  he  made  such  an  ungallant  remark. 

The  girl's  eyes  blazed  and  she  bit  her  lip.  It  seemed 
that  she  was  on  the  point  of  an  outburst,  but  she  re- 
strained herself  and  laughed.  That  laugh  was  defiant 
and  angry. 

"Oh,  well,  I  don't  know!"  she  said.  "The  person 
I  speak  of  may  find  I  will  stand  by  him  better  than 
some  of  his  friends  who  would  have  looked  on  while 
he  was  dragged  away  to  jail." 


Isa  Isban.  359 

This  was  a  surprise  to  Frank,  for  it  showed  that 
the  girl  knew  something  about  the  adventure  with  Bill 
Higgins,  which  had  taken  place  that  day. 

"So  you  have  seen  him  since?"  asked  Merry,  eagerly. 
"Where  is  he?" 

"Find  out." 

"I  shall  be  able  to  find  out  in  time,  I  think,  Miss 
Isban." 

"As  far  as  he  is  concerned,  you  need  not  worry,  for 
I  do  not  think  he  cares  to  see  you  again." 

"I  do  not  believe  that.  He  knows  me  too  well, 
and  he  trusts  me." 

"He  thought  he  knew  you,  but  he  did  not  fancy  you 
would  remain  passive  and  see  him  placed  under  ar- 
rest." 

"I  did  not." 

"What  did  you  do?" 

"I  did  not  have  an  opportunity  to  do  much  except 
save  his  life." 

"Save  his  life?" 

"Yes." 

"How?" 

"I  kept  him  from  being  bored  by  a  bullet  from  Bill 
Higgins'  gun." 


360  Isa  Isban. 

"How  did  you  do  so  much?" 

"I  spoiled  Higgins'  aim." 

"Well,  that  was  most  remarkable!  I  presume  you 
expect  him  to  show  the  utmost  gratitude  for  a  service 
that  any  man  might  render  another !" 

She  snapped  her  fingers  toward  Frank,  laughing 
scornfully : 

"That's  where  you  fool  yourself.  Mr.  Hodge  has 
told  me  that  he  hoped  he  might  never  meet  you  again. 
He  has  found  other  and  better  friends." 

"Perhaps  you  speak  the  truth." 

The  manner  in  which  Frank  uttered  the  words  im- 
plied not  only  a  doubt  but  a  positive  belief  that  she 
was  not  speaking  the  truth,  and  she  did  not  misun- 
derstand them.  Her  teeth  clicked  together,  gleaming 
beyond  her  curved,  red  lips,  and  her  hands  were 
clinched.  On  her  white  fingers  were  a  number  of 
rings,  set  with  diamonds,  which  flashed  and  blazed  like 
her  eyes. 

"I  care  not  whether  you  think  I  speak  the  truth  or 
not,"  she  said,  and  turned  her  back  upon  him. 

Diamond  evinced  positive  distress. 

"I  can't  understand  you,  Merriwell!"  he  said,  in  an 


Isa  Isban.  361 

aside.  "It  is  not  at  all  like  you.  Why,  you  are  always 
gallant  and  courteous  to  ladies." 

"That  is  right,"  agreed  Frank,  with  deep  meaning. 
"I  am." 

Jack  did  not  like  that. 

"And  you  mean  to  insinuate  that  this  beautiful  girl 
is  not  a  lady  ?" 

"I  have  my  doubts." 

"Still  it  seems  to  me  that  you  have  made  a  bad  break 
in  your  treatment  of  her.  You  were  very  rude.  That 
is  not  the  way  to  treat  a  young  lady." 

"It  is  not  the  way  to  treat  the  most  of  them;  but, 
my  dear  fellow,  you  will  have  to  learn  that  they  differ 
as  much  as  men.  If  you  were  to  treat  all  men  with 
the  utmost  courtesy  and  consideration,  you  would  find 
that  not  a  few  would  regard  you  as  a  weak-kneed 
slob.  They  would  impose  on  you,  and  their  opinion 
of  you  would  sink  lower  and  lower  as  you  permitted 
them  to  continue  their  impositions  without  giving  back 
as  good  as  they  sent.  In  this  respect,  there  is  a  class 
of  women  who  resemble  men.  Of  course  you  cannot 
handle  them  as  you  would  men,  but  you  can't  be  soft 
•with  them.  A  man  who  insulted  you  you  would  knock 


362  Isa  Isban. 

down.  You  can't  strike  a  woman,  but  you  can  strike 
her  in  a  different  way,  and,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  if 
•he  is  of  a  certain  sort,  she  will  think  all  the  more  of 
you  in  the  end." 

"Well,  I  am  sure  you  have  made  a  mistake  with 
Miss  Isban.  I  could  see  her  deep  anger  and  hatred 
for  you  in  her  eyes.  She  would  like  to  strangle  you 
this  minute." 

"I  haven't  a  doubt  of  it,"  coolly  smiled  Frank,  his 
manner  showing  not  the  least  concern. 

"She  will  hate  and  despise  you  as  long  as  she  lives." 

"If  so,  it  will  make  little  difference  to  me." 

Up  to  this  time  Jack  had  not  dreamed  that  Frank 
could  be  anything  but  courteous  and  bending  to  a  lady, 
and  now  the  Southerner  saw  there  was  a  turn  to  his 
friend's  character  that  he  had  not  suspected. 

Merriwell  had  not  been  at  all  brutal  in  his  manner, 
but  his  words  had  touched  Isa  Isban  like  blows  of  a 
whip.  They  had  stung  her  and  stirred  her  blood,  al- 
though they  were  spoken  in  a  way  that  showed  the 
natural  polish  and  training  of  their  author. 

In  truth  the  girl  longed  to  fly  at  Frank  Merriwell's 


Isa  Isban.  363 

throat.  She  felt  that  she  could  strike  him  in  the 
face  with  her  hands  and  feel  the  keenest  delight  in 
doing  so. 

As  she  turned  toward  him  again,  there  came  a  sharp 
knock  on  the  door. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

HODGE     REAPPEARS. 

The  old  man  looked  startled,  and  the  girl  showed 
signs  of  alarm. 

"Quick,  Drew!"  she  whispered.  "Is  the  door  fas- 
tened?" 

"Yes!"  quavered  the  old  man. 

"My  revolver — where  is  it?" 

"On  the  shelf — where  you  placed  it." 

With  a  spring  that  reminded  the  'boys  of  the  leap 
of  a  young  pantheress,  she  reached  the  shelf  and 
snatched  a  gleaming  pistol  from  it.  Then  she  faced 
the  door  again,  the  weapon  half  raised. 

The  boys  were  on  their  feet. 

"Land  ob  wartermillions !"  chattered  Toots,  his  eyes 
rolling.  "Looks  lek  dar  am  gwan  teh  be  a  rucshun 
fo'  suah!" 

Then  he  looked  around  for  some  place  of  conceal- 
ment. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Frank.     "Is  there  danger?" 


Hodge  Reappears.  365 

"To  me — yes,"  nodded  Isa.  "But  you  do  not  care! 
I  expect  no  aid  from  you,  sir." 

"Who  is  at  the  door?" 

"It  may  be  Bill  Higgins,  the  sheriff!" 

"Come  to  arrest  you  ?" 

"Perhaps." 

"He  can't  do  it!"  hissed  Diamond,  as  he  caught  up 
a  heavy  chair  and  held  it  poised.  "We  won't  let  him  I" 

The  girl  actually  laughed. 

"At  least,  I  have  one  champion,"  she  said. 

"To  the  death!"  Diamond  heroically  declared. 

The  knock  was  repeated,  and  this  time  it  was  given 
in  a  peculiar  manner,  as  if  it  were  a  special  signal. 

An  expression  of  relief  came  to  the  faces  of  the  old 
man  and  the  girl,  but  they  seemed  very  much  sur- 
prised. 

"Who  can  it  be?"  Isa  asked,  doubtingly. 

"It  is  the  secret  signal,"  said  the  man  with  the  gray 
hair. 

"That  is  true,  but  who  should  come  here  to  give  the 
signal." 

"It  must  be  all  right." 

"Wait.  I  will  go  into  the  back  room.  If  it  is  re- 
peated, open  the  door.  Should  it  be  an  enemy  or  ene- 


366  Hodge  Reappears. 

mies,  give  me  time  to  get  away.  That's  all.  Hold 
them  from  rushing  into  the  back  room." 

"We  will  do  that/'  declared  Diamond. 

In  a  moment  Isa  disappeared. 

The  knock  was  given  for  the  third  time,  and  the  old 
man  approached  the  door,  which  he  slowly  and  de- 
liberately opened. 

"Who  are  you,  and  what  do  you  want?"  he  asked. 

The  reply  was  muffled  and  indistinct,  but  something 
like  an  exclamation  of  relief  escaped  the  man,  and  he 
flung  the  door  wide  open. 

Into  the  room  walked  a  young  man  with  a  smooth- 
shaved  face  and  a  swaggering  air. 

"Hello,  Drew!"  he  called,  and  then  he  stopped  and 
stared  at  the  boys.  "I  didn't  know  you  had  visitors," 
he  said. 

"So  it's  you,  Kent — so  it's  you !"  exclaimed  the  old 
man,  with  relief.  "I  didn't  know — I  reckoned  it 
might  be  somebody  else." 

"You  knew  I  was  coming." 

"Yes ;  but  I  didn't  'low  you'd  get  here  so  soon.  It's 
a  long  distance  to  Carson,  and — • — " 

"Never  mind  that,"  quickly  spoke  the  man,  inter- 
rupting Drew,  as  if  he  feared  he  would  say  something 


Hodge  Reappears.  367 

it  were  better  the  boys  did  not  hear.  "My  horse  is  out- 
side. Where  shall  I  put  him?" 

"In  the  shed.     I'll  show  ye.     Come  on." 

The  old  man  went  out,  followed  by  the  newcomer, 
and  the  door  was  kft  open  slightly.  Toots  quietly 
slipped  out  after  them. 

Isa  Isban  came  back  into  the  room. 

"I  do  not  care  to  be  seen  here  by  everybody  who 
may  come  along,"  she  explained;  "but  this  person  is 
all  right,  for  Drew  knows  him." 

This  was  rather  strange  to  all  of  the  boys  except 
Frank,  but  Merry  instantly  divined  that  she  was  afraid 
of  Higgins  and  more  than  half  expected  the  big  sheriff 
would  follow  her  there. 

The  secret  signal  and  the  air  of  mystery  and  appre- 
hension shown  by  the  girl  and  the  old  man  convinced 
Merriwell  that  all  was  not  right. 

Isa  had  at  one  time  "shoved  the  queer"  for  a  band 
of  men  who  made  counterfeit  money,  and  Bart  Hodge 
had  told  Frank  quite  enough  to  convince  Merriwell 
that  she  was  still  in  the  same  dangerous  and  unlawful 
business. 

The  thoughts  which  ran  riot  in  Merry's  head  wjere 


368  Hodge  Reappears. 

of  a  startling  nature,  but  his  face  was  calm  and  passive, 
betraying  nothing  of  what  was  passing  in  his  mind. 

Once  more  Diamond  set  about  making  himself 
agreeable  to  Isa,  and  she  met  him  more  than  halfway. 
She  laughed  and  chatted  with  him,  seeming  to  have 
forgotten  that  such  a  person  as  Frank  Merriwell  ex- 
isted. 

Browning  sat  down  in  a  comfortable  position  where 
he  could  lean  against  the  wall,  and  proceeded  to  fall 
asleep. 

After  a  short  time  Toots  came  slipping  into  the 
cabin,  his  eyes  rolling,  and  his  whole  manner  betray- 
ing excitement  and  fear.  He  would  have  blurted  out 
something,  but  Frank  gave  him  a  signal  that  caused 
him  to  be  silent. 

At  the  first  opportunity  the  colored  boy  whispered 
in  Merry's  ear: 

"Marser  Frank,  de  bes'  ring  we  can  do  is  teh  git  out 
ob  dis  'bout  as  soon  as  we  kin  do  it,  sar." 

"What  makes  you  think  that?"  asked  Merriwell, 
cautiously. 

"We  am  in  a  po'erful  ba-ad  scrape,  sar." 

"What  do  you  mean  ?" 

"It  am  mighty  ba-ad  folks  dat  libs  heah,  sar." 


Hodge  Reappears.  369 

"Bad?    In  what  way?" 

"Dey  hab  done  suffin'  dat  meks  dem  skeered  ob  de 
ossifers  ob  de  law." 

"How  do  you  know?" 

"I  done  hears  de  ol'  man  and  de  young  man  talkinV 

"What  did  they  say?" 

"Say  dat  ossifers  am  arter  'em.  De  young  man  say 
dat  he  have  to  run  from  Carson  City  to  'scape  arrest, 
sar." 

"He  is  the  horseman  I  saw  ahead  of  us  in  the  val- 
ley," said  Frank.  "He  must  have  seen  us  coming  and 
concealed  himself,  expecting  we  would  pass  him.  It 
is  plain  he  did  not  wish  to  be  seen." 

"Suah's  yeh  bawn,  boy!  He  has  been  doin'  suffin' 
mighty  ba-ad,  an'  he's  dangerous.  He  said  he  wouldn't 
be  'rested  alive,  sar." 

"This  is  very  interesting,"  nodded  Frank.  "It 
seems  that  we  are  in  for  one  more  exciting  adventure 
before  we  finish  the  tour." 

"I  don'  like  it,  sar— 'deed  I  don' !  No  tellin'  what 
such  folks  will  do.  He  am  feelin'  po'erful  ugly,  fo* 
he  say  suffin'  'bout  trubble  wif  his  wife  an'  'bout  hab- 
bin'  her  follerin'  him.  Dat  am  how  it  happen  he  wur 


370  Hodge  Reappears. 

comin'  from  de  wes'  'stead  ob  de  eas'.  He  done  dodge 
roun'  teh  git  'way  from  his  wife,  sar." 

"He  is  a  brave  and  gallant  young  man,"  smiled 
Merriwell.  "I  admire  him  very  much — nit!" 

"Now  don'  yeh  go  teh  bein'  brash  wif  dat  chap, 
Marser  Frank.  Dar  ain't  no  tellin'  what  he  might 
do." 

"Don't  worry.  Keep  cool,  and  wait  till  I  take  a 
fancy  to  move.  I  want  to  look  him  over  some  more. 
He  will  be  coming  back  with  Drew  in  a  moment, 
and Here  they  come  now!" 

Into  the  cabin  came  the  old  man,  and  the  young  man 
was  at  his  heels.  There  was  a  sullen,  unpleasant  look 
on  the  face  of  the  latter,  and  he  glared  at  the  boys  as 
if  he  considered  them  intruders. 

Isa  looked  up  and  arose  as  they  entered. 

The  light  of  the  lamp  fell  fairly  on  her  face,  and  the 
newcomer  saw  her  plainly. 

He  uttered  a  shout  of  astonishment  and  staggered 
back,  his  eyes  opened  to  their  widest  and  his  manner 
betraying  the  utmost  consternation. 

"Is  it  possible!"  he  grated. 

Then  he  clutched  the  old  man  by  the  shoulder,  snarl- 
ing: 


Hodge  Reappears.  371 

"Confound  your  treacherous  old  hide!  You  have 
betrayed  me.  You  said  the  woman  was  Isa  Isban,  and 
she  is " 

The  girl  interrupted  him  with  a  laugh. 

"You  seem  excited,"  she  said.  "I  am  Isa  Isban, 
and  no  one  else." 

He  took  a  step  toward  her,  his  face  working  and  his 
hands  clinched. 

"How  did  you  get  here  ahead  of  me?"  he  hoarsely 
demanded. 

"In  the  most  natural  manner  possible,"  she  an- 
swered. "A  friend  brought  me,  Mr.  Kent." 

"You  know  my  real  name — you  know  everything! 
I  suppose  you  are  here  to  secure  evidence  against  me. 
You  are  looking  for  a  divorce." 

"A  divorce?" 

"Exactly." 

"I  do  not  understand  you." 

"You  understand  well  enough.  We  have  not  been 
married  so  very  long,  and  our  married  life  hasn't  been 
any  too  happy.  You  have  accused  me  of  abusing  you 
— you  have  threatened  to  leave  me." 

The  girl  looked  bewildered. 


372  Hodge  Reappears. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  the  man  ?"  she  murmured. 
"Is  he  crazy?" 

The  man  seemed  puzzled  by  her  manner,  and  the 
witnesses  of  the  remarkable  scene  were  absolutely  ai 
sea ;  they  could  not  understand  what  it  was  about. 

"I  am  not  crazy,"  said  the  young  man;  "but  I  was 
a  fool  to  marry  you.  You  were  not  worth  the  trouble 
I  took  to  get  you.  I  should  have  let  the  other  fool 
have  you,  instead  of  plotting  to  disgrace  him  in  the  eyes 
of  your  uncle  and  aunt,  so  I  could  get  you." 

A  great  light  dawned  on  Frank  Merriwell. 

"Great  fortune!"  he  mentally  exclaimed.  "This  is 
the  fellow  who  married  Vida  Melburn,  Isa's  half-sis- 
ter, and  he  thinks  this  girl  is  his  wife!  They  used  to 
look  so  much  alike  that  it  was  difficult  to  tell  one  from 
the  other. 

"Married — married  to  you?"  cried  the  girl.  "Not 
on  your  life!  Why,  I  never  saw  you  before,  although 
I  have  heard  of  you." 

The  man  seemed  staggered  for  a  moment,  and  then, 
with  a  cry  of  anger,  he  leaped  upon  her. 

"What  is  your  game?"  he  hissed,  as  he  shook  her 
savagely.  "What  are  you  up  to?  I  thought  you  a 
soft,  innocent  little  girl,  and  now  you  are  showing 


Hodge  Reappears.  373 

yourself  something  quite  different.  I  believe  you 
played  me  for  a  sucker!  And  you  want  a  divorce! 
Well,  here  is  cause  for  it!" 

Then  he  choked  her. 

Frank  went  at  him  like  a  cyclone. 

"You  infernal  villain!"  he  cried,  as  his  hands  fell 
on  the  man,  and  he  tore  the  gasping  girl  from  his 
clutches.  "No  one  but  a  brute  ever  lays  hands  on  a 
woman  in  anger,  and  a  brute  deserves  a  good  drubbing 
almost  any  time.  Here  is  where  you  get  it!" 

Then  he  proceeded  to  polish  off  the  girl's  assailant  in 
a  most  scientific  manner,  ending  by  flinging  him  in  a 
limp  and  battered  condition  into  a  corner  of  the  room. 

Diamond  had  hastened  to  support  the  girl  when 
Frank  snatched  her  from  her  assailant,  but  she  repulsed 
him  and  flung  him  off,  saying,  hoarsely: 

"Let  me  alone !  I  am  all  right !  I  want  to  see  this 
fight!" 

With  interest  she  watched  Frank  whip  the  man 
whom  she  had  called  Kent,  though  she  swayed  and 
panted  with  every  blow,  her  eyes  glittering  and  her 
cheeks  flushed. 

As  Merriwell  flung  the  fellow  into  the  corner,  the 


374  Hodge  Reappears. 

girl  straightened  up  and  threw  back  her  head,  laugh- 
ing: 

"Well,  he  was  a  soft  thing,  and  that  is  a  fact! 
Think  of  being  thrashed  by  a  boy!  Drew,  is  it  pos- 
sible this  is  our  Carson  City  agent,  whom  you  called  *a 
good  man/  when  you  were  speaking  of  him  this  even- 
ing? Such  a  chap  would  blow  the  whole  game  if  he 
were  pinched.  I  wouldn't  trust  him." 

The  old  man  stood  rubbing  his  shaking  hands  to- 
gether, greatly  agitated  and  unable  to  say  a  word. 

At  this  moment  the  back  door  flew  open,  and  an  ex- 
cited boy  carfte  bounding  into  the  room,  crying: 

"I  heard  the  racket,  and  I  couldn't  stay  in  that  hole 
any  longer !  If  there's  a  fight,  I  must  be  in  it !" 

"It'i  Hodge!"  shouted  Frank,  delightedly. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

A    KNOCK   ON    THE   DOOR. 

Bart  Hodge! 

He  was  again  on  hand,  and  his  manner,  as  well  as 
his  words,  indicated  he  was  eager  to  take  part  in  any 
row  that  was  going  on. 

The  young  man  who  had  been  so  roughly  handled 
by  Merriwell  sat  up  and  looked  at  Bart 

"Hodge?"  he  gasped,  doubtingly.  "Hodge— here?" 

"Hart  Davis!"  cried  Bart,  astounded. 

Then  they  stared  at  each  other. 

"So  this  chap  went  under  the  name  of  Davis,  instead 
of  Kent,  while  in  Carson  City,"  thought  Frank  Mer- 
riwell.  "He  is  the  one  who  got  Hodge  into  trouble 
there,  and  he  married  Vida  Milburn.  It  seems  that 
he  is  a  first-class  rascal." 

Davis  got  up. 

"Hodge,"  he  said,  "I  didn't  expect  to  find  you " 

He  interrupted  himself  with  a  fierce  gesture,  and 
then  he  looked  from  Bart  to  the  girl  and  back  again  to 


376  A  Knock  on  the  Door. 

Bart.  An  expression  of  unutterable  rage  and  satis- 
faction spread  over  his  face. 

"Ha !  ha !"  he  fiercely  laughed.  "I  see  through  it  all 
now!  You — you  are  the  ones  caught!  You  did  not 
expect  to  see  me  here." 

"That's  right,"  nodded  Hodge;  "but  now  you  are 
here,  I'd  like  nothing  better  than  the  satisfaction  of 
breaking  your  face.  However,  it  seems  that  Mr.  Mer- 
riwell  has  given  you  a  good,  comfortable  drubbing." 

"He  shall  pay  for  it  with  his  life!"  shouted  Davis. 
"But  you  come  first — you  and  this  girl  I  married !" 

He  snatched  out  a  revolver,  but  was  given  no  chance 
to  use  it. 

Bruce  Browning  had  been  watching  the  fellow 
closely,  and  he  had  approached  near  enough  so  that  a 
single  step  brought  him  within  reach  of  the  man. 

"Not  this  trip,  old  boy,"  he  drawled,  as  he  grasped 
Davis'  wrist  and  gave  it  a  wrench  that  caused  the 
man's  fingers  to  drop  the  revolver.  "I  wouldn't  do 
any  reckless  shooting  if  I  were  you." 

Then  he  picked  up  the  weapon,  while  Davis  groaned 
with  pain,  his  face  having  grown  very  pale. 

"You  are  too  many  for  me,"  he  huskily  whispered ; 


A  Knock  on  the  Door.  377 

"but  my  time  will  come!  I'll  do  the  job,  Vida,  if  I 
live!" 

"Very  tragic,"  laughed  the  girl ;  "but  you  have  made 
a  big  mistake,  sir.  I  am  not  Vida  at  all." 

Davis  did  not  heed  the  words.  He  was  rubbing  his 
sprained  wrist  and  working  it  about. 

"Look  here,  you !"  cried  Hodge,  addressing  the  man  ; 
"I  want  you  to  know  what  a  blooming  idiot  you  have 
made  of  yourself.  This  girl  is  not  the  one  you  stole 
from  me." 

"Bah !"  cried  Davis. 

"It  is  true  that  they  bear  a  striking  and  wonderful 
resemblance,  and  you  are  not  the  first  to  be  deceived  by 
it.  I  was  deceived  myself.  But  they  are  half-sisters. 
Never  but  once  during  their  lives  have  they  met,  and 
Vida  never  speaks  of  Isa." 

"A  fine  story,  but  it  would  not  deceive  a  child,"  said 
the  man. 

"You  do  not  believe  it?" 

"I  am  not  so  simple." 

"It  is  not  convenient  to  prove  it  to  you  just  now, 
and  you  are  not  worth  bothering  with  at  best.  You 
are  a  treacherous,  double-faced  rascal,  and  won  Vida 
by  crooked  and  contemptible  schemes,  so  it  would  serve 


378  A  Knock  on  the  Door. 

you  right  if  this  were  she.  But  I  am  not  of  your  dirty 
nature,  and  I  would  scorn  to  seek  to  take  her  from  you. 
I  wish  you  both  all  the  happiness  you  deserve." 

The  old  man  now  approached  Davis  and  began  to 
talk  earnestly  with  him,  speaking  in  a  tone  that  made 
it  impossible  for  the  others  to  hear  and  understand  his 
words. 

At  first  Davis  seemed  to  refuse  to  believe  what  the 
old  fellow  was  saying,  but  Drew  took  papers  from  his 
pockets  and  showed  them,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
the  man  from  Carson  grew  interested  and  undecided. 

In  the  meantime,  Frank  had  grasped  Bart's  hand, 
and  was  saying : 

"Dear  old  fellow,  I  am  overjoyed  to  find  you  again 
and  know  you  escaped  from  Bill  Higgins." 

Bart  was  rather  cold  in  his  manner. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "I  escaped  without  much  trouble; 
but  I  am  not  out  of  the  woods  yet.  He  has  a  warrant 
for  my  arrest,  and  I  must  get  out  of  California." 

"I  will  aid  you." 

"Thank  you,  it  is  not  necessary." 

The  way  in  which  Hodge  said  this  cut  Merriwell 
deeply,  but  he  kept  himself  from  showing  it. 


A  Knock  on  the  Door.  379 

"It  may  be  necessary,"  he  said.  "You  can't  tell  how 
soon  you  may  need  a  lift  from  me,  old  comrade." 

"I  needed  one  pretty  bad  to-day,  Merriwell." 

"And  I  was  able  to  keep  Bill  Higgins  from  sending 
five  or  six  bullets  after  you  before  you  were  fairly 
started." 

"You  were,  and  you  did  it?" 

"Sure." 

A  glow  came  into  Bart's  eyes. 

"Why,  you  took  chances  of  getting  into  serious 
trouble,  for  you  were  aiding  a  criminal  to  escape  from 
an  officer." 

"I  knew  that." 

"What  did  Higgins  do?** 

"Nothing  much ;  only  tried  to  shoot  a  few  holes  in 
me." 

"Csesar!  I  couldn't  see  what  was  going  on  behind 
me." 

"He  might  have  done  it,  but  my  friend  Browning 
knocked  him  down." 

"What?  Knocked  him  down — knocked  Bill  Hig- 
gins down?" 

"Yes." 

"It  was  a  crazy  thing  to  do !     Higgins  is  a  killer.    I 


380  A  Knock  on  the 

don't  understand  how  it  is  that  either  of  you  are  alive 
now." 

"The  sheriff's  revolver  dropped  out  of  his  hand  when 
he  fell,  and  Browning  picked  it  up.  When  Higgins 
reached  for  another,  as  he  got  up  from  the  ground, 
he  found  himself  covered  by  his  own  gun,  and  he  was 
invited  to  mosey  along.  He  moseyed." 

This  was  quite  enough  to  warm  Bart  up.  Now  he 
grasped  Frank's  hand,  and  gave  it  a  fierce  shake. 

"Dear  old  fellow!"  he  said,  echoing  Frank's  words 
of  a  short  time  before.  "I  might  have  known  you 
would  stand  by  me.  I  want  to  shake  hands  with  Mr. 
Browning  again.  He  is  all  right!  But  really  and 
truly  I  am  sorry  you  did  this,  as  it  is  certain  to  make 
trouble  for  you.  It  has  put  you  in  the  wrong,  Frank^ 
and  that  is  a  shame.  See  what  trouble  I  have  caused 
you!  I  am  your  evil  genius!  I  never  brought  you 
anything  but  trouble,  and  it  is  a  wonder  to  me  that  you 
can  think  anything  at  all  of  me." 

Frank's  arm  went  around  Bart's  shoulders. 

"Old  chum,"  he  softly  said,  "I  know  your  heart  is  all 
right,  and  I  am  sure  you  would  do  no  deliberate  wrong. 
I  do  not  fancy  you  committed  a  crime  knowing  you 
were  doing  so." 


A  Knock  on  the  Door.  381 

Bart's  chin  was  a  trifle  unsteady,  and  there  was  the 
deepest  feeling  in  his  voice  as  he  said : 

"I  wonder  that  you  can  have  such  confidence  in  me 
now,  but  I  am  glad  you  have.  It  was  all  a  mistake, 
I  received  the  queer  money  by  mistake,  and  I  did  not 
know  it  was  bad  till  after  I  had  passed  some  of  it." 

Then  it  was  that  Isa  came  forward  to  sustain  him 
in  this  declaration. 

"It  is  the  truth,"  she  said,  with  a  short  laugh.  "I 
will  not  attempt  to  deceive  Mr.  Merriwell  by  claiming 
that  I  did  not  know  it  was  counterfeit,  for  he  would 
not  believe  me;  but  I  am  ready  to  take  my  oath  that 
Hodge  believed  it  all  right." 

This  gave  Frank  no  small  amount  of  satisfaction. 

"I  thank  you,  Miss  Isban,  for  admitting  this;  but 
you  alone  can  save  Bart  if  he  is  arrested.  If  you  will 
do  that,  in  part,  at  least,  you  will  repair  the  damage 
you  have  done  him." 

It  was  plain  she  did  not  like  Merriwell's  free  man- 
ner of  speaking,  but  she  bit  her  lips  and  held  back  any 
expression  of  anger  that  sought  utterance. 

"You  are  mistaken,  sir,"  she  declared.  "I  cannot 
save  him  if  he  is  arrested." 

"You  could  come  forward  and  tell  the  truth." 


382  A  Knock  on  the  Door. 

"She  shall  not !"  exclaimed  Hodge,  promptly.  "You 
do  not  seem  to  understand  what  that  would  mean  to 
her,  Frank.  She  would  be  arrested." 

"And  I  presume  you  would  go  to  jail  for  a  crime 
you  innocently  committed  rather  than  have  her  clear 
you  at  such  an  expense  to  herself?" 

"Yes — a  thousand  times  yes!" 

"That  is  very  gallant  of  you,  old  fellow,  and  I  ad- 
mire you  for  it,  but " 

"Mr.  Merriwell,"  said  the  girl,  "I  could  not  clear 
him  if  I  were  to  swear  on  a  stack  of  Bibles  as  high  as 
the  highest  peak  of  the  Rockies  that  he  is  innocent." 

"No?" 

"No!  Who  would  believe  me,  Isa  Isban,  the  no- 
torious 'shover  of  queer?'  No  one.  They  would  say 
I  was  lying  to  clear  him,  and  he  would  do  time  just 
the  same." 

Frank  thought  of  this  a  moment,  and  then  slowly 
shook  his  head. 

"I  believe  you  are  right,"  he  admitted. 

"I  know  I  am  right,"  asserted  the  girl. 

"Well,  you  have  placed  Hodge  in  a  very  bad  hole, 
and  I  scarcely  see  any  way  out  of  it." 


A  Knock  on  the  Door.  383 

"The  only  way  out  is  to  kill  Bill  Higgins !"  cried  the 
girl,  her  eyes  flashing. 

Frank  regarded  her  with  a  feeling  of  horror. 

"I  fail  to  see  how  that  would  get  him  out  of  it,"  he 
huskily  said. 

"Well,  I'll  tell  you.  Higgins  has  believed  for  some 
time  that  somewhere  in  his  territory  bad  paper  was 
being  manufactured,  although  but  little  of  it  has  been 
floated  hereabouts.  He  has  not  notified  the  govern- 
ment authorities,  but  has  sought  the  honor  of  arrest- 
ing the  gang  himself,  as  he  has  political  aspirations  in 
the  State,  and  he  thinks  it  will  be  a  big  feather  in  his 
cap  if  he  can  do  something  like  this  to  advertise  him. 
While  in  Sacramento  I  got  hard  up  for  money,  and  this 
is  how  it  happened  that  I  gave  Mr.  Hodge  a  bill  of 
large  caliber  to  use  in  making  a  purchase  for  me.  I 
needed  the  money;  and  I  did  not  believe  it  would  get 
Hodge  into  trouble  if  he  passed  it.  I  was  mistaken. 
After  passing  from  his  hands,  it  was  taken  to  a  bank, 
and  there  it  was  refused.  Then  Bill  Higgins  got  hold 
of  it,  and  traced  it  to  Hodge.  He  got  out  a  warrant 
for  Bart,  but  it  does  not  charge  him  with  passing  bogus 
money.  The  charge  is  quite  different,  for  Higgins  did 
not  wish  to  cause  any  stir  by  letting  any  one  know  why 


384  A  Knock  on  the  Door. 

he  was  after  Hodge.  Bart  got  wind  of  the  whole 
business,  and  warned  me.  I  made  him  skip  out,  and 
I  lost  little  time  in  getting  out  of  the  city  myself. 
Now,  you  see,  Higgins  is  the  only  person  except  our- 
selves who  knows  what  the  charge  against  Bart  is.  If 
he  were  snuffed  out,  it  might  end  the  whole  business." 

Frank  had  listened  to  this  explanation  with  the 
greatest  interest,  studying  the  remarkable  girl  who 
could  thus  calmly  speak  of  killing  a  man. 

Isa  Isban  was  an  enigma  to  him.  She  seemed  to  be 
utterly  without  the  power  to  understand  the  enormity 
of  the  deed  of  which  she  spoke  so  calmly. 

At  times  the  girl's  face  seemed  as  sweet  and  inno- 
cent as  that  of  a  child,  while  at  other  times  there  was 
about  it  a  certain  hardness  and  boldness  that  was  re- 
pellent. 

Merriwell  began  to  pity  her,  for  he  believed  that  she 
could  not  understand  the  difference  between  right  and 
wrong,  and  so  was,  to  a  great  extent,  irresponsible. 

At  the  same  time,  he  doubted  if  a  jury  could  be 
found  who  would  convict  this  sweet  and  dainty-ap- 
pearing little  girl  if  she  were  arrested  and  brought  up 
for  trial. 

"I  thank  you  for  your  frank  explanation  of  the  situa- 


A  Knock  on  the  Door.  385 

tion,  Miss  Isban,"  he  said.  "You  have  made  it  clear 
that  Hodge  was  not  responsible,  but  you  have  not  made 
it  clear  how  we  are  to  save  him  from  punishment." 

"Haven't?     I  reckoned  I  had.     Kill  Bill  Higgins!" 

"Is  it  possible  you  can  thus  calmly  speak  of  mur- 
der?" 

"Murder  ?    It  isn't  murder  when  you  have  to  do  it.** 

"So  in  this  case  you  call  it " 

"Self-defense." 

"Your  ideas  on  that  point  are  most  remarkable !  Any 
jury  in  the  country  would  call  it  murder.  No,  that 
will  not  do.  Hodge  can't  be  saved  in  that  manner." 

"There  is  no  other  way." 

"We  must  get  him  out  of  the  State." 

"Then  Higgins  will  throw  up  the  job  of  trying  to 
make  the  arrest  himself,  but  he  will  put  a  government 
detective  on  his  trail." 

Frank  was  silent 

"That's  right,  old  man,"  said  Bart,  gloomily.  "I 
am  in  for  it,  and  the  quicker  you  cut  loose  from  me  the 
better  it  will  be  for  you.  If  you  stick  by  me,  you'll 
be  pulled  into  this  affair,  too." 

"They  can  prove  nothing  against  me." 


386  A  Knock  on  the  Door. 

"They  can  prove  that  you  interfered  with  an  officer 
in  the  discharge  of  his  duty." 

Merry  snapped  his  fingers. 

"Let  them.  I  am  willing  to  be  soaked  for  that,  if  it 
is  the  extent.  I  shall  stand  by  you  to  the  last,  Bart, 
and  I  hope  we'll  pull  you  through  some  way." 

"I  tell  you  the  only  way  is  to  kill  Higgins !"  hissed 
the  girl. 

Then  there  came  a  thunderous  knock  on  the  door, 
and  a  hoarse  voice  demanded  admittance. 

"That  is  he — that  is  Higgins  I"  pelpitated  Isa  Isban. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
THE   SHERIFF'S   SHOT. 

Old  Drew  was  greatly  frightened,  and  Davis  showed 
alarm. 

"Hold  that  door — hold  that  door  one  minute!" 
cried  Isa.  "It  will  give  us  time  to  get  out  of  the 
way!" 

Bruce  Browning's  shoulder  went  against  the  door, 
and  he  calmly  drawled: 

"Anybody  won't  come  in  here  in  a  hurry." 

"Come!"  whispered  the  girl,  catching  hold  of  Bart; 
"we  must  get  away!  quick!" 

Davis  leaped  after  them. 

"It  will  not  be  a  good  thing  for  me  to  be  seen  here," 
he  said.  "If  there  is  a  way  of  getting  under  cover, 
you  must  take  me  along." 

"That's  right,"  nodded  Isa,  "for  you  would  peach  if 
you  were  pinched.  Come!" 

By  the  way  of  the  door  that  led  into  the  back  room 
they  disappeared. 

Rap-bang!  rap-bang!  rap-bang! 


388  The  Sheriff's  Shot. 

"Open  this  door  instanter !" 

Higgins  roared  the  order  from  the  outside. 

"What's  your  great  rush?"  coolly  inquired  Brown- 
ing. 

A  volley  of  fierce  language  flew  from  the  sheriff's 
lips. 

"I'll  show  yer!"  he  thundered.  "Down  goes  ther 
door  if  ye  don't  open  it  immediate!" 

"Be  good  enough,  Mr.  Drew,  to  ascertain  if  our 
friends  are  under  cover  yet,"  said  Frank. 

The  old  man  hobbled  into  the  back  room,  was  gone 
a  moment,  and  then  reappeared,  something  like  a  look 
of  relief  on  his  withered  face. 

"They're  gone,"  he  whispered. 

"Will  it  be  all  right  to  open  the  door?" 

"I  reckon  ye'll  have  to  open  it." 

"All  right.     Admit  Mr.  Higgins,  Bruce." 

Browning  stepped  away  from  the  door,  lifting  the 
iron  bar. 

Instantly  it  flew  wide  open,  and,  with  a  big  revolver 
in  each  hand,  the  sheriff  strode  heavily  into  the  room. 

Behind  him  came  another  man,  who  was  also  armed 
and  ready  to  do  shooting  if  necessary. 

Higgins  glared  around. 


The  Sheriff's  Shot.  389 

"Whatever  does  this  mean?"  he  asked,  astonished 
by  the  presence  of  the  bicycle  boys. 

"Whatever  does  what  mean?"  asked  Frank,  inno- 
cently. 

"You  critters  bein'  here.     I  don't  understand  it" 

"We  are  stopping  here  for  the  night." 

"Sho!  Is  that  it?  Well,  you're  not  the  only  ones. 
Where  are  the  others?" 

"What  others?" 

"One  in  particler — the  one  you  helped  to  get  away 
to-day.  You'll  have  to  square  with  me  for  that." 

"I  presume  you  mean  Mr.  Hodge?" 

"That's  whatever." 

"I  think  your  memory  is  at  fault,  sir.  I  did  not  aid 
him  in  getting  away,  but  you  owe  me  thanks  for  keep- 
ing you  from  shooting  him.  He  would  have  made  the 
unlucky  thirteenth  man." 

"Well,  hang  me  if  you  ain't  got  nerve!  All  the 
same,  you'll  have  to  take  your  medicine  for  aiding  a 
criminal." 

"He  has  not  been  proved  a  criminal  yet,  sir." 

"Oh,  you  know  all  about  it!  Well,  he's  somewhere 
round  this  ranch,  and  I'm  going  to  rope  him.  Watch 
the  front,  Britts." 


390  The  Sheriff's  Shot. 

"All  right,  sir,"  said  the  man  who  accompanied  Hig- 
gins. 

Then  the  big  sheriff  strode  into  the  back  room,  pick- 
ing up  the  lamp  to  aid  him  in  his  search. 

Frank  held  his  breath,  wondering  what  Higgins 
would  find. 

After  four  or  five  minutes  the  sheriff  came  back,  and 
he  was  in  a  furious  mood. 

"I  know  the  critter  is  here  somewhere!"  he  roared; 
"and  I'll  have  him,  too!  Can't  hide  from  me!" 

"That's  right,"  smiled  Frank,  with  a  profound  bow. 
"You  have  an  eagle  eye,  Mr.  Higgins,  and  you  should 
be  able  to  find  anything  there  is  about  the  place.  I 
wouldn't  think  of  trying  to  hide  from  you." 

"Ye-he!  ye-he!  ye-he!"  giggled  Toots. 

Higgins'  face  was  black  with  fury.  He  pointed  a 
revolver  straight  at  Frank,  and  thundered : 

"You  think  you're  funny,  but  I'm  going  ter  bore  yer 
if  you  don't  talk  up  instanter !  You  know  where  that 
galoot  Hodge  is  hid,  and  you'll  tell,  too." 

"My  dear  sir,"  returned  Frank,  as  he  folded  his 
arms  and  looked  the  furious  man  fairly  in  the  eyes,  "I 
do  not  know  where  Bart  Hodge  is  hidden,  and  I  would 
not  tell  if  I  did." 


The  Sheriff's  Shot.  391 

Higgins  ground  his  teeth. 

"Say  yer  prayers!"  he  grated.  "I'm  goin'  to  make 
you  the  thirteenth !" 

He  was  in  deadly  earnest,  yet  it  did  not  seem  that 
Frank  quailed  in  the  least  before  him.  Indeed,  in  the 
face  of  such  peril,  Merriwell  apparently  grew  bolder, 
and  a  scornful  smile  curled  his  lips. 

"Shoot!"  he  cried,  his  voice  ringing  out  clear  and 
unshaken — "shoot  and  prove  yourself  a  detestable  cow- 
ard!" 

The  other  lads  held  their  breath.  They  felt  like  in- 
terfering, but  something  in  Frank's  manner  seemed  to 
warn  them  to  keep  still  and  not  try  to  aid  him. 

"You  think  I  won't  do  it,"  muttered  Higgins. 
"Well,  I'll  show  ye!  I  always  do  exactly  as  I  say. 
Now,  you  eat  lead!" 

There  was  a  scream,  a  swish,  a  rush  of  feet,  a  flitting 
form,  and  Isa  Isban  had  flung  herself  in  front  of 
Frank,  protecting  him  with  her  own  body! 

The  heavy  revolver  spoke! 

Bang! 

Frank  had  realized  with  wonderful  quickness  that 
the  girl  meant  to  save  him  by  protecting  him  with  her 
body,  and  he  caught  her  by  the  shoulders,  flinging  her 


392  The  Sheriff's  Shot. 

to  the  floor  in  an  effort  to  keep  her  from  being  shot  at 
any  cost  to  himself. 

He  would  not  have  been  successful,  however,  but  for 
big  Bruce  Browning. 

The  big  fellow  had  been  watching  Higgins  as  a 
hawk  watches  a  chicken.  At  first,  he  had  not  thought 
it  possible  the  sheriff  would  fire.  He  could  not  con- 
ceive that  the  man  was  such  a  ruffian.  At  the  last  mo- 
ment, however,  he  saw  Higgins  meant  to  shoot. 

Browning's  hand  rested  on  the  back  of  a  chair. 
With  a  swiftness  that  was  simply  marvelous  in  one 
who  naturally  moved  with  the  greatest  slowness,  he 
swung  that  chair  into  the  air  and  flung  it  at  the  furious 
sheriff. 

Higgins  saw  the  movement  out  of  the  corners  of 
his  eyes,  and,  although  the  missile  had  not  reached  him 
when  he  pulled  the  trigger,  his  aim  had  been  discon- 
certed. 

The  bullet  touched  Frank's  ear  as  it  passed  and 
buried  itself  in  the  wall. 

Then  old  Drew  dashed  out  the  light,  and  the  place 
was  plunged  in  darkness. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

ESCAPE — CONCLUSION. 

The  sheriff's  assistant  lost  no  time  in  getting  out  of 
the  cabin,  rushing  to  one  of  the  horses,  which  had  been 
left  a  short  distance  away,  and  mounted.  Then  he 
rode  madly  away  through  the  forest,  deserting  Higgins 
in  a  most  cowardly  manner. 

When  the  lamp  in  the  cabin  was  relighted,  Higgins 
was  found  stretched  senseless  on  the  floor,  the  chair 
having  struck  him  on  the  head  and  cut  a  long  gash, 
from  which  blood  was  flowing. 

"I'm  afraid  I've  killed  him!"  exclaimed  Browning. 
"I  didn't  mean  to  do  that,  but  I  had  to  do  something. 
I  couldn't  keep  still  and  see  him  shoot  Frank  down  like 
a  dog." 

"It  serves  him  right!"  said  Diamond,  but  his  face 
was  pale,  and  he  looked  very  anxious. 

"I  sincerely  hope  he  will  come  around  all  right," 
said  Frank,  as  he  knelt  by  the  man's  side.  "This 
scrape  is  bad  enough,  and,  although  he  has  shown  him- 


394  Escape — Conclusion. 

self  a  ruffian,  I  do  not  think  we  care  to  take  the  life  of 
any  human  being." 

Isa  Isban  was  looking  down  at  the  man,  and  her 
face  softened  and  showed  pity. 

"You  are  right,  Mr.  Merriwell,"  she  gently  said. 
"You  have  taught  me  a  lesson.  Higgins  was  a  hand- 
some man  in  his  way,  and  it  is  a  pity  to  have  him  die 
with  his  boots  on  like  this.  We'll  see  what  we  can 
do  to  fix  him  up." 

Frank  looked  up  at  her,  and  one  glance  was  enough 
to  convince  him  of  her  sincerity. 

"Poor  girl!"  he  thought.  "She  has  never  been 
taught  the  difference  between  right  and  wrong.  Even 
now,  if  she  had  a  show,  she  might  become  something 
far  better  than  she  is." 

She  knelt  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  unconscious 
man. 

"Bring  some  water,  Drew,"  she  sharply  commanded. 
"Bring  something  with  which  we  can  bandage  his 
head." 

"Why  don't  ye  let  him  die?"  whined  the  old  man. 

"It  would  be  a  bad  thing  for  you  if  we  did,"  she  re- 
turned. "His  deputy  has  puckacheed,  and  he  won't 
do  a  thing  but  bring  a  posse  here  as  soon  as  possible. 


Escape — Conclusion.  395 

It  will  be  all  the  better  for  you  if  Bill  Higgins  is  all 
right  when  the  posse  appears." 

"I'm  ruined  anyway,"  declared  Drew.  "I'll  have  to 
git  out.  They  will  search,  and  they're  bound  to  find 
everything  if  they  do." 

"We'll  have  everything  out  of  here  before  morning, 
and  then  let  them  search.  The  first  job  is  to  fix  Bill 
Higgins  up." 

Water  was  brought,  and  she  bathed  the  head  of  the 
unconscious  man,  who  groaned  a  little  once  or  twice. 
Then  Frank  aided  her  in  adjusting  a  bandage.  Once 
their  hands  touched,  and  she  drew  away  quickly,  catch- 
ing her  breath,  as  if  she  had  been  stung. 

Frank  looked  at  her  in  wonder,  and  saw  that  she  had 
flushed  and  then  grown  very  pale.  Her  eyes  met  his, 
and  then  her  lashes  drooped,  while  the  blush  crept  back 
into  her  cheeks. 

What  did  it  mean? 

More  than  ever  was  this  girl  an  enigma  to  him. 

The  boys  lifted  Higgins  and  placed  him  on  an  im- 
provised couch  in  the  corner,  as  Drew  would  not  per- 
mit them  to  place  him  on  the  bed  in  the  little  back 
room. 

By  this  time  Hart  Davis  had  become  convinced  that 


Escape — Conclusion. 

Isa  Isban  was  not  the  girl  he  had  married,  although 
she  looked  so  much  like  Vida  that  he  was  filled  with 
wonder  whenever  he  regarded  her. 

He  asked  her  pardon  for  his  actions  of  a  short  time 
before,  but  she  gave  him  no  heed,  as  she  seemed  fully 
intent  on  making  the  sheriff  comfortable  and  restor- 
ing him  to  consciousness. 

Hodge  did  not  look  at  Davis,  whom  he  hated  with 
the  utmost  intensity,  as  he  feared  he  would  spring 
upon  the  man  if  he  did  so. 

After  a  while,  Higgins  opened  his  eyes  and  stared 
around  in  a  blank  manner. 

"Did  we  stop  the  mill,  pards?"  he  huskily  asked. 
"The  whole  herd  was  stampeded  and  goin'  like  a 
cyclone  down  the  range,  horns  clanking,  eyes  glaring, 
nostrils  smoking  and  hoofs  beating  thunder  out  of  the 
ground." 

"What  is  the  man  talking  about?"  asked  Frank,  in 
wonder. 

"He  was  a  cowboy  once,"  Isa  explained.  "He  seems 
to  be  thinking  of  that  time." 

"It  was  a  wild  ride  through  the  night,  wasn't  it, 
pards?"  Higgins  went  on,  although  he  did  not  seem 
to  be  speaking  to  any  one  in  particular.  "It  was  dark 


Escape — Conclusion.  397 

as  ten  million  black  cats,  and  the  cold  wind  cut  like  a 
knife.  But  we  stopped  'em — we  stopped  'em  at  last" 

"He  is  raving  daffy!"  cried  Rattleton. 

"That's  right,"  nodded  Frank.  "He  seems  to  be 
in  a  bad  way." 

Higgins  wanted  to  get  up,  but  he  was  not  strong 
enough  to  do  so,  and  he  fell  back  with  a  groan.  Isa 
knelt  and  wet  the  bandages  on  his  head. 

"Wimmen  can't  stop  a  stampede,"  he  said.  "What- 
ever are  you  on  the  range  fer  ?" 

"Don't  be  excited,"  he  said,  softly.  "You  were 
hurt." 

"Hurt?  What,  me?  Well,  say,  that's  a  joke! 
Haw!  haw!  haw!  Any  of  the  boys  will  tell  yer  you 
can't  hurt  Bill  Higgins  with  a  club.  Hurt?  Never 
was  hurt  in  all  my  life.  I'm  tired — that's  all.  Dead 
tired,  and  I  want  to  rest.  I'll  be  all  right  in  the  morn- 
ing." 

Then  he  turned  his  face  toward  the  wall  and  closed 
Bis  eyes. 

"I  hope  he  isn't  going  to  die,"  said  Frank. 
"So  do  I,"  muttered  Browning,  sincerely.     "I  don't 
want  to  have  that  to  think  about" 


398  Escape — Conclusion. 

Higgins  lay  in  a  stupor,  breathing  heavily. 

"Drew,"  said  Isa,  "you  and  Davis  know  what  to 
do,  while  I  am  getting  something  to  eat  for  these 
young  men.  There  may  be  a  posse  of  men  here  before 
morning.  The  place  should  be  clear." 

They  understood  her,  and,  without  delay,  went  into 
the  back  room,  closing  and  fastening  the  door  behind 
them.  After  that  the  boys  could  hear  them  at  work  in 
there. 

Isa  rolled  up  her  sleeves,  found  the  corn  meal  and 
cooking  utensils,  and  prepared  some  bread  for  the 
hungry  lads. 

Hodge  built  the  fire  for  her,  and  all  the  boys  were 
very  attentive.  They  watched  her  with  the  greatest 
interest,  and  an  exceedingly  pretty  picture  she  pre- 
sented as  she  worked  over  the  small  iron  stove,  her 
cheeks  flushed  with  the  heat  and  her  eyes  sparkling. 

Frank  was  silent,  as  he  sat  watching  the  injured 
sheriff,  and,  not  infrequently,  the  eyes  of  the  girl 
would  seek  him.  Then  it  was  that  she  heeded  not  the 
words  of  any  other  person,  although  they  directed 
their  conversation  pointedly  at  her. 

"What's  the  matter  with  you  ?"  Hodge  finally  whis- 
pered in  her  ear.  "Are  you  getting  stuck  on  Merri- 


Escape — Conclusion.  309 

well?  It  will  not  do  you  the  least  good  in  the  world. 
He  has  not  a  very  good  opinion  of  you." 

She  turned  pale  and  hung  her  head,  after  which  she 
went  on  with  her  work  in  a  mechanical  manner. 

Hodge  was  jealous,  but  he  was  not  the  only  one. 

Jack  Diamond  had  not  failed  to  note  the  change 
that  had  come  over  the  girl,  and  he  felt  disgusted  and 
sulky. 

"It  beats  the  world!"  he  thought.  "Merriwell  was 
right  when  he  said  some  girls  should  be  handled 
roughly,  and  it  is  plain  this  girl  is  one  of  them.  She 
is  stuck  on  him!  I  can  see  it  in  her  eyes  and  her 
actions.  She  showed  it  when  she  flung  herself  in 
front  of  the  sheriffs  gun  in  order  to  protect  him  with 
her  own  body.  I'll  give  it  up!  Merriwell  can  read 
girls  better  than  I,  and  he  knew  immediately  what  sort 
of  girl  this  one  is.  I  have  treated  her  with  the  great- 
est courtesy,  and  she  does  not  deign  to  give  me  a  look." 

So  Jack  sat  back  by  himself  and  sulked. 

Rattleton  wondered  what  Drew  and  Davis  were 
doing  in  the  back  room.  They  seemed  to  be  lifting 
and  moving  something. 

When  the  bread  was  cooked  and  placed  on  the  table, 
together  with  a  juicy  venison  steak  which  Isa  procured 


4<x>  Escape — Conclusion. 

from  the  old  man's  supply  of  meat,  the  boys  drew 
up,  their  appetites  whetted  to  a  keen  edge  by  the  de- 
lightful odor  of  the  food. 

They  took  turns  in  urging  Isa  to  sit  at  the  table  with 
them,  but  she  would  not  do  so  till  Frank  added  his  in- 
vitation. 

She  served  them,  and,  as  she  had  prepared  some 
coffee,  they  enjoyed  a  jolly  meal,  despite  the  exciting 
adventures  they  had  passed  through  within  the  last 
twelve  hours. 

Rattleton  tried  to  tell  a  story,  but  got  it  so  badly 
twisted  that  he  quite  lost  the  point,  although  he  pro- 
duced shouts  of  laughter.  Browning — staid  old  Bruce 
— even  told  a  story,  and  it  was  a  very  good  one.  Dia- 
mond was  silent,  and  Merriwell  watched  Bill  Higgins 
with  a  look  of  anxiety  on  his  face. 

"It's  too  bad  we  have  nothing  better  than  water  to 
offer  as  a  drink,"  said  Isa,  looking  straight  at  Frank. 

"There  is  nothing  better  in  the  whole,  wide  world," 
Merriwell  declared.  "It  is  the  drink  of  drinks." 

When  the  meal  was  finished  Isa  urged  them  to  go 
away  at  once. 

"If  you  remain  here,  you  are  certain  to  get  into 
trouble,"  she  said.  "Higgins  will  be  all  right  in  the 


Escape — Conclusion.  401 

morning,  and  the  deputy  is  sure  to  have  a  posse  of  men 
here  by  that  time.  All  of  you  may  be  arrested." 

"Let  them  arrest,"  said  Frank,  calmly.  "I  am  not 
going  to  leave  Higgins  now.  I  shall  keep  watch  of 
him  until  he  is  able  to  take  care  of  himself,  or  till  he 
has  proper  persons  to  care  for  him." 

It  was  useless  to  urge  Frank  to  change  his  mind. 
He  was  determined  to  stay,  no  matter  what  came  of  it, 
and  stay  they  did. 

It  was  long  past  midnight  when  Drew  came  in  by 
the  front  door.  Davis  was  not  with  him. 

Isa  was  awake  and  waiting  for  the  old  man. 

"Well?"  she  questioned. 

"It's  all  right,"  he  assured.  "He's  miles  away  now, 
and  all  the  stuff  is  safe  stowed." 

"Good !"  exclaimed  the  girl.  "Let  the  officers  come! 
I  can  sleep  now." 

When  morning  came  Bill  Higgins  seemed  quite 
strong,  but  his  head  was  filled  with  the  wildest  fancies. 
He  talked  of  strange  things,  and  it  was  evident  that 
his  mind  wandered. 

Higgins  did  not  wish  to  eat  anything,  but  Isa 
brought  him  bread  and  coffee,  and  he  took  it  from  her. 

"Pretty  girl,"  he  muttered,  with  a  gleam  of  reason. 


402  Escape— Conclusion. 

"Fine  girl !  Wonder  how  such  a  girl  came  to  be  out 
here  on  the  ranch?" 

In  vain  they  waited  for  the  appearance  of  the  deputy 
and  a  posse.  The  expected  did  not  happen. 

Frank  had  a  long  talk  with  Bart. 

"Old  man,"  he  said,  "you  must  come  with  me — you 
must  do  it !  I  will  not  take  no  for  an  answer.  If  Bill 
Higgins  comes  around  all  right  in  his  head  to-morrow 
he  will  be  after  you  again.  You  must  make  for  San 
Francisco  and  lose  no  time  in  shipping  for  some  for- 
eign port.  After  this  affair  blows  over,  you  can  come 
back." 

"But  Isa " 

"Never  mind  her.  She  will  take  care  of  herself ;  it 
is  your  place  to  look  out  for  Hodge.  Higgins  may 
be  daffy  for  several  days — for  a  week,  perhaps.  That 
will  give  you  all  the  time  you  need.  Here  is  the  war- 
rant he  carried  for  your  arrest.  In  it  you  are  named 
as  a  vagrant  and  suspicious  character.  Isa  Isban  is 
sure  no  one  but  Bill  Higgins  knows  why  he  is  so  eager 
to  arrest  you.  She  does  not  want  you  arrested,  for 
she  fears  you  will  tell  some  things  you  know." 

"Is  that  true,  Frank?" 

"Of  course  it  is  true.     It  would  not  be  good  for  the 


Escape — Conclusion.  403 

gang  if  you  were  to  tell.  Now  don't  pretend  that  you 
know  nothing  about  the  gang,  for  you  must  have  sus- 
pected. I  know  Drew  and  Davis  removed  a  lot  of 
bogus  money  and  machinery  for  making  it  from  a  cel- 
lar beneath  the  back  room  of  this  cabin.  My  ears  told 
me  that  they  were  doing  that  trick  last  night.  Davis 
is  gone.  Let  him  go.  Vida  Milburn  made  a  mistake 
when  she  threw  you  over  for  that  fellow,  but  I  rather 
think  it  was  the  best  thing  that  could  happen  for  you. 
The  next  best  thing  will  be  to  get  away  from  Isa 
Isban.  Will  you  go?" 

"Wait  till  I  have  talked  with  Isa." 

"Let  me  talk  with  her  at  the  same  time?" 

"Yes." 

So  the  girl  was  called  aside,  and  she  listened  to  what 
Frank  Merriwell  had  to  say. 

"Do  you  think  you  can  get  Hodge  on  board  a  ship 
before  he  is  arrested?"  she  asked. 

"I  think  so." 

"Then  you  had  better  go,  Bart,"  she  declared,  turn- 
ing to  him.  "I  am  very  sorry  that  I  got  you  into  this 
scrape,  but  I  will  tell  you  frankiy  that  I  do  not  care  for 
you  any  more  than  in  a  friendly  way.  You  are  too 


404  Escape — Conclusion. 

young.  I  never  saw  but  one  fellow  anywhere  near 
your  age  that  I  fancied  I  could  care  for." 

She  looked  at  Merriwell  in  a  very  significant  man- 
ner as  she  uttered  the  words,  but  he  did  not  seem  to 
discover  any  secret  meaning  in  them. 

Hodge,  however,  came  near  saying  something,  but 
he  bit  his  lip  and  kept  silence. 

"Will  you  go?"  asked  Frank. 

"I  will  go,"  answered  Bart. 


Frank  was  not  satisfied  till  he  saw  Bill  Higgins  de- 
livered into  the  hands  of  friends. 

As  for  the  deputy  who  took  to  flight,  he  met  with  a 
fatal  accident  while  passing  through  the  forest.  Either 
he  was  swept  from  the  back  of  his  horse  by  a  limb  or 
was  thrown  off.  Be  that  as  it  may,  he  was  found 
with  a  broken  neck. 

And  Higgins  still  wandered  in  his  mind  when  Frank 
left  him. 

The  boys  made  great  speed  on  the  road  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, which  they  reached  in  due  time,  and  there,  with 
the  other  mail  that  awaited  him,  Frank  found  a  brief 
letter  from  Isa  Isban. 


Escape — Conclusion.  405 

"I  wish  to  let  you  know  what  the  physicians  who 
have  examined  Bill  Higgins  have  to  say/'  she  wrote. 
"They  say  he  has  lost  his  memory,  and,  although  he 
may  recover  from  the  injury  otherwise,  it  is  doubtful  if 
he  will  ever  regain  his  memory.  In  that  case,  Hodge 
is  safe  anywhere,  but  it  will  be  well  for  him  to  get  out 
of  California." 

The  news  was  gratifying  to  Hodge,  and  he  lost  no 
time  in  disappearing  from  view. 

The  arrival  of  the  bicycle  boys  in  San  Francisco 
was  the  cause  of  two  celebrations,  one  among  them- 
selves and  another  among  their  friends  in  the  East. 

The  tour  across  the  continent  had  been  a  success, 
and  the  papers  were  loud  in  their  praise  of  plucky 
Frank  Merriwell  and  his  companions. 

"And  now  we  can  take  it  easy/'  said  Bruce,  lazily. 

"That's  Bruce,"  laughed  Diamond.  "Always  will- 
ing to  take  a  rest." 

"Dunno  but  wot  we  hab  earned  a  rest,"  put  in  Toots. 

"Doking  snownuts — no,  smoking  doughnuts!  what 
a  lot  of  adventures  we  have  had  since  we  left  New 
York!"  came  from  Harry.     "Any  of  us  could  write  ' 
a  book  of  travels  without  half  trying." 

"We'll  take  it  easy  for  a  while,"  said  Frank.     "But 


406  Escape — Conclusion. 

not  for  long.  I've  got  an  idea  for  more  sport,  while 
we  are  out  here." 

Long  letters  followed  telegrams  to  the  East  and 
long  letters  were  received  in  return. 

"You've  done  the  trick,  wrote  one  fellow  student. 
"When  you  get  back  to  Yale,  well — I  reckon  the  town 
won't  be  big  enough  to  hold  you." 

"Dear  old  Yale!"  exclaimed  Frank. 

That  night  the  boys  sang  college  songs  far  into  the 
wee  small  hours  of  the  morning.  They  were  more 
than  happy.  Past  perils  were  forgotten;  and  here  we 
will  once  again  say  good-by. 

THE  END. 


"BEST  OF  ALL  BOYS'  BOOKS 


THE  FAMOUS 

Frank  Merriwell  Stories 

By  BURT  L.  STANDISH 

No  modern  series  of  tales  for  boys  and  youths  has 
met  with  anything  like  the  cordial  reception  and  popu- 
larity accorded  to  the  Frank  Merriwell  Stories. 

There  must  be  a  reason  for  this  and  there  is.  Frank 
Merriwell,  as  portrayed  by  the  author,  is  a  jolly,  whole- 
souled,  honest,  courageous  American  lad,  who  appeals 
to  the  hearts  of  the  boys.  He  has  no  bad  habits,  and 
his  manliness  inculcates  the  idea  that  it  is  not  necessary 
for  a  boy  to  indulge  in  petty  vices  to  be  a  hero.  Frank 
Merriwell's  example  is  a  shining  light  for  every  ambitious 
lad  to  follow. 

Twenty-four  volumes  ready 

Frank  Merriwell's  School  Days  Frank  Merriwell's  Skill 

Frank  Merriwell's  Chums  Frank  Meniwell's  Champions 

Frank  Merriwell's  Foes  Frank  Merriwell's  Return  to  Yale 

Frank  Merriwell's  Trip  'West  Frank  Merriwell's  Secret 

Frank  Merriwell  Down  South  Frank  Merriwell's  Loyalty 

Frank  Merriwell's  Bravery  Frank  MerriwelFs  Reward 

Frank  Merriwell's  Races  Frank  Merriwell's  Faith 
Frank  Merriwell's  Hunting  Tour  Frank  Meniwell's  Victories 

Frank  Merriwell's  Sports  Afield  Frank  Merriwell's  Power 

Frank  Merriwell  at  Yale  Frank  Merriwell's  Set-Back 

Frank  Merriwell's  Courage  Frank  MerriwelTs  False  Friend 

Frank  Merriwell's  Daring  Frank  Merriwell's  Brother 

Illustrated,  cloth  binding*  5O  cents  per  volume 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers,  or  sent,  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price 
by  the  publisher 

DAVID  McKAY,  Philadelphia 

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